<p>So I've had an itch for a while to visit Cuba. I want to go before Fidel dies, (so I can go afterwards and see the contrast) and before the the N. Americans do anything to the island. Does anyone know of any programs through some university, or maybe an NGO program that lets you go visit/study abroad in Cuba? maybe over the summer or during the holidays?
I've been looking and all I've found are programs that have already been shut down (Cal had one in 2004, but they no longer offer it), but nothing current, or coming soon.</p>
<p>If anyone has some info please help! I really wanna go!!!</p>
<p>I am Cuban myself so I will provide you with some limited information. First of all, everyone knows about Cuba's economic and political situation but that doesnt away the fact that there is in fact a good education in Cuba, especially in medicine. </p>
<p>I really dont know of any study abroad programs but I would check out both sites I gave you although im not sure the results it would yield. I talk to my cousin regularly in Google Talk so when I communicate with him again Im going to ask him and post what he says. Thanks.</p>
<p>My Dad is a Cuban American. His parents left Cuba because well, u couldnt make a living. Not making enough to survive. And that was as a family of doctors! Communism in Cuba is far from working well. Cuba has limited resources to provide a good living to all. Many end up with no food everyday because the economists who predict the food allotment per family, calculate wrong. My dad left when he was eight, and he still remembers how starvartion was so prevalent in Cuba.
Communism sounds appealing in theory but impossible in practice. I know of no communist country that has been able to eliminate starvation and create total equality as they would like to have u believe.
Education especially in medecine is said to be strong. However with limited resources to provide funding I find it hard to see how the program is so strong. Havana, especially now, is not a pretty city. It is very dirty and poverty is extremely prevalent. There are better experiences for study abroad in the carribean and or Latin American:
- Dominican Republic: very similar to Cuban Culture, as I lived there for 3 years and aside from being better off than cuba (socially and economically) has much more to do.
- Puerto Rico: University of Puerto Rico is a good school from what I have heard. A lot much more to do that D.R and Cuba.
- Mexico: Tec De Monterrey is very good school. from what I have heard the school is extremely nice.</p>
<p>lets not get into the politics of the situation, don't steal my thread please. Thanks for the help Acere, no i'm into political science, not engineering, but I've always been interested in Cuba and Cuban history. I'm Argentine, and my family has always adored the romanticism of the revolution and Che, I guess that's part of my desire to visit. But thanks for the info!
anyone else?</p>
<p>No problem punkdudeus. As I said, when I get info from my cousin in Cuba I will surely post it here or pm you.</p>
<p>As far as the others getting the thread political, thats hard not to happen and people seem to forget that we are talking about getting your education not living there. Yes its true you dont get paid even if you educate yourself but your just going on a study-abroad program, you wont be making a life in Cuba. And as I said, regardless of other factors, education in Cuba is really good.</p>
<p>Acarta07 - I have gone to Dominican Republic various times (i mean a lot) because my dad owns a house over there (In Punta Cana, around the beach) just for vacation purposes and all I can say is that Cuba is a whole lot better off than Dominican Republic. Its really depressing to see the little kids begging for money which breaks your heart, seeing the huts made out of sink, etc. Stuff that I never saw in Cuba.</p>
<p>Here's a thought: I'm American, and grew up unable to travel to Cuba. When we lived in Canada during the l990's, I was surprised to learn that Canadians had no such ban, and travelled there often to resorts.
So, perhaps the Canadian universities have better study-abroad relationships with Cuba? Just wondering.</p>
<p>"Acarta07 - I have gone to Dominican Republic various times (i mean a lot) because my dad owns a house over there (In Punta Cana, around the beach) just for vacation purposes and all I can say is that Cuba is a whole lot better off than Dominican Republic. Its really depressing to see the little kids begging for money which breaks your heart, seeing the huts made out of sink, etc. Stuff that I never saw in Cuba."</p>
<p>Hey I'm dominican, and the reason why those kids dont have anything to eat is because the parents have way to many kids and don't think about the consequences and the only reason u dont see that in cuba is because the government provides housing and food.And by the way I wouldn't reccomend going to cuba, mainly because of the U.S. policies towards cuba since there are great universities in the caribbean and south and central america.</p>
<p>i'm not really worried about U.S. policies towards cuba, but what i think i'm gonna do is save up money this summer, then maybe go next winter using an Argentine passport and citizenship, through Buenos Aires. That way the feds can't screw with me or my right to visit anyplace i want.</p>
<p>Im not a college student but i saw this my sister who has been out of college for 2 yrs(well 2 yrs this May) went to Cuba for a spring break study abroad..the pictures she brought back were horrible...but it was such a great experience for her.....
the pictures were for a class project theres wild dogs all over she took a lot of pictures of that(her subject everyone had a subject was animals)</p>
<p>
[quote]
Hey I'm dominican, and the reason why those kids dont have anything to eat is because the parents have way to many kids and don't think about the consequences
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Thank the Catholic Church for that.</p>
<p>
[quote]
My Dad is a Cuban American. His parents left Cuba because well, u couldnt make a living. Not making enough to survive. And that was as a family of doctors! Communism in Cuba is far from working well. Cuba has limited resources to provide a good living to all. Many end up with no food everyday because the economists who predict the food allotment per family, calculate wrong. My dad left when he was eight, and he still remembers how starvartion was so prevalent in Cuba.
Communism sounds appealing in theory but impossible in practice. I know of no communist country that has been able to eliminate starvation and create total equality as they would like to have u believe.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Any chance a US trade embargo has something to do with screwing up their economy?</p>
<p>Sorry to hijack your thread, punk, I just wanted to get that out there.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure the US Embassy prohibits travel to Cuba. And if you go, you're pretty much screwed if you get into any trouble. So, if the Cuban police decide to just arrest you, there's no consulate to bail you out. So I would think through it carefully about how much your life is worth before persueing Cuba. Yes, it would be interesting. But life down there isn't "oh its cuba its communism !", and it isn't a petting zoo. You could end up in serious trouble without even knowing it. And like I said, i'm almost certain the US Embassy doesn't support Cuban travel. Heck, we wont even important their rum! It may actually be against the law to travel there, so check around on the State Dept. website.<br>
So, my advice is watch the Discovery Channel special on Cuba and pick somewhere else to study abroad in. Cuba just isn't worth your life.</p>
<p>i think i'm gonna just claim my argentine citizenship and get an argentine passport, go to havana via buenos aires and an argentine travel agent.</p>
<p>the risk even for americans isn't that big though, even though bush started prosecuting people who violated the travel ban, only about 1 in like 100 people get caught now, and of those few are starting to go in front of a judge. the worst you get is a fine (a big one).</p>
<p>On the Americans having a consulate, while there's no embassy in havana, there's an American interest section in the Swiss embassy, which serves the basic functions.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help guys, looks like this is just gonna be a winter trip for me, instead of a study program. I'm gonna start saving money this summer. Maybe the Democrats will step up to the plate before then and lift the embargo already.
?Que Viva Cuba y la revoluci?n!</p>
<p>You guys make it overboard. Im not going to start a political argument but you guys make it seem as if they are waiting for you to get off the plane in order to "get yourself in trouble" (geez notice the "self" part, as in, you caused it).</p>
<p>Also, the law against travel to Cuba is only for US citizens.</p>
<p>yes, i am fluent in spanish, and what could i possibly do to get myself in trouble in Cuba? See the tomb of Che, or visit the Sierra Maestra? I'm not bringing that many kilos of coke over with me, I have to sneek it by customs some how.</p>