Aug. 3, 2015
Last week, 10 Commodore student-athletes ventured to Cuba with Soles4Souls for a historic international service trip. Due to a lack of stable internet service in Havana and Trinidad, the Commodores weren’t able to send out daily blogs. Now that they are back in the states, the student-athletes are able to share their journals.
Our third blog was written on Thursday, July 23 by Kendyll Dellinger, a member of the women’s bowling team. She describes her fourth day in Cuba, which included the group’s final shoe distribution.
There’s something about waking up 10 yards from the sea and watching the colors of the Caribbean sunrise melt together that makes you really stop and appreciate life a little bit more. It also makes going running at the same time the sun is rising seem like a sane decision.
Today was our first full day in Trinidad, and we started our day touring the city. We visited this pottery shop that has been in the same family for generations. The family elders teach the trade to the younger children to keep the craft alive, and the work is just beautiful. They had their pottery wheel set up in the middle of the shop so you could see the work being created, which was super cool to watch.
We walked through the city to the main plaza and visited the city’s Catholic church. The simplicity of the vaulted ceilings and the ornateness of the hand-carved wooden altars combined beautifully. The main altar was massive, and took over 10 years to craft!
Across the main square was what used to be a house of one of Trinidad’s wealthiest citizens that has been turned into a museum for the city’s history. The building had a tower on one corner that you could climb that offered breathtaking views of the city.
Today was also our final shoe distribution. We went to a school of the arts that helps students advance their skills in dance, singing, visual arts, theater or literature. The students performed songs and cultural dances, and you could really see the passion they all had for what they were doing. The children and the instructors were so grateful to receive the shoes. I have loved seeing the children’s reactions to getting new shoes, but I have especially loved the teacher’s smiles and reactions. You can tell how much they really care about their students, and it’s a wonderful feeling knowing you were able to be involved in some way.
After lunch we ventured back to our hotel, where we could rest and relax. A few of us spent the time on the beach, swimming in the sea, playing games with some of the children, and not using enough sunscreen. Once dinner had finished we went back downtown to watch live music and dancing.
Experiencing the Cuban culture firsthand has been an amazing experience. There is so much to see every time you turn around it gets overwhelming at times trying to take it all in. I am beyond grateful to have been given an opportunity by Vanderbilt and Soles4Souls to come to Cuba to interact with the students and learn the culture while giving back.