Thursday, June 21, 2012

My Cuban Experience by Jason Thomposon

Many Americans never get to see Cuba in person. The only way that Americans can visit Cuba legally is by obtaining a visa. An individual needs to fall under one of the ten different types of visas to visit Cuba.  I was luckily enough to be able to obtain a student visa for a study abroad trip.

Many Americans believe that Cuba is dangerous. This is not true; tourism is very safe. There are police officers on every corner and have CCTV camera all around. One of the cities that we visited was Havana. It is a large city with a population of about 2.2 million people. A city this large offered a lot of thing to do.

Most tourists never get to see Havana through the eyes of the Cuban people as I did. One of the most enjoyable experiences that one can have while in Havana is meeting the locals and having a bite to eat with them. This is a wonderful relationship starter that could lead to a lifetime friendship.

After checking into our hotel on the first day three of us wandered the city and within 30 minutes we ended up in China town having a drink with two of our new friends. As it would turn out we would spend most of our nights in China town hanging with new friends who showed good places to eat and wonderful nightlife.



If you ever visit Cuba I suggest spending at least one night walking around the city at night and ending up in China town. As you are sitting at the local watering hole or getting a bite to eat you will be amazed at what you can learn from the people while having one of the most interesting nights of your life. The mixed drinks are very tasteful as they have fresh ingredients. The drink of choice that you must try while in Cuba is mojito while relaxing with a Cuban cigar. Some people think that Cubans did not like American when in fact they are very friendly and love us.

-Jason Thompson

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