Aug. 4, 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 sixth installment is from Sam DeFabrizio of the men’s cross country team written about the team’s final full day in Trinidad and Cuba on July 24.
My day began with a little bit of madness. I woke up three times after 4:30 a.m., each time checking my watch in anticipation of a siren issuing the onset of my final full day in Cuba. Finally, at 5:45, my alarm told me it was time to get up.
I switched the noise off and unwrapped the Nature Valley granola bar that would sustain me through my morning run. I felt awake, but the extra motivation of a double espresso I had stored in my refrigerator from the night before got me out the door before 6 a.m. It was ridiculously hot outside, despite the sun not having risen yet. I marched over to the small gym at our resort, only to discover that the door was locked. There goes my 11 miles.
I lay in bed until 6:30 relaxing and listening to The Rolling Stones, at which point I grabbed a towel and walked to the beach in time to watch the sun rise. I did core exercises as the light hit the water and its turquoise tone became clear. After a 20-minute shakeout run, I showered and did some last minute packing before breakfast. By 8:15, we had pulled out of the resort and were on our way back to Havana, a 5-hour journey that would inevitably be extended by bathroom stops, lunch, and time spent learning about Cienfuegos, a city along the way.
I suppose now is a good time to get introspective, judging by the majority of today that was spent passing the time. We’ve only been in Cuba for six days, but we’ve done quite a lot. Despite the significance of our situation  being some of the first Americans to travel here under the new set of travel allowances issued  this trip has been extraordinary in other ways. Perhaps having a service component has ‘served’ its purpose by giving us the immediate opportunity to give back to the community that is treating us so well. Or maybe it’s because we’ve gotten to hear the history of an unfamiliar country come to life from the mouth of our enthusiastic guide, Eric. I know for me, at least a portion has been because of the introduction to the inner workings of a different type of economy; regardless of my personal bias towards capitalism, I have been intrigued and impressed by the Cuban system.
Another highlight has been getting to know the Cuban people. As a whole, this population is not only hardworking but incredibly bright. They place tremendous merit in education  the key to continually improving their society. There also seems to be a greater emphasis on preserving and teaching culture; almost everybody can dance and sing thanks to their upbringing. Instead of music, art, or dancing being a hobby or profession, it is simply part of being Cuban. It helps lend to a tangible national identity.
At around 10 a.m. we stopped in Cienfuegos, a modern city that Eric frequently used the word “industry” in describing. Tourism is still an industry in Cienfuegos, but there are many other jobs to be had in the city of 170,000. We walked along the main shopping drag, which was populated with shops that seem aimed towards the actual inhabitants of the town. We haven’t gotten to see much of this, and it’s interesting to see how the general population spends its disposable income. In the main square we admired the architecture that surrounds the open space. This plaza was the first that I’ve been to in six weeks of traveling Latin America that emphasizes nature, and it was nice to see some green space and diversity in flora choice. It reminded me of Vandy. We also discovered that none of the main squares in Cuba are no longer called Plazas de Armas (very typical in Central and South America). Instead, they’ve been renamed after historical figures. After some time in the sun we boarded the bus and departed from the “definitely not the Plaza de Armas” Plaza de José Marti.
The rest of the afternoon was relatively relaxed, as we arrived at our Havana hotel around 2:45 and didn’t have anything specific to do until we left for dinner at 6:30. Some of the girls went to play soccer at the local stadium; others napped. I found myself talking my way into the hotel gym at a price of $5, steep for having access to the clearly neglected treadmill in the corner. It was still better than braving the nearly 100-degree heat outside. Just over an hour and more than 10 and a half miles later I stepped off the treadmill drenched in sweat and lifted a few weights before heading back to my room to shower. I’ll wake up early tomorrow to run by streetlight along the Malecon, the wide walkway outside of our hotel that runs for 11 kilometers along the ocean.
For dinner we went to “El Aljibe,” one of Cuba’s most famous public restaurants. It’s known for having the best Creole food in the country, quite a claim to make in a country of Creole food. Although I can’t vouch for many other Cuban Creole restaurants, I can say that it was the best we have had. After rounds of bread, salad, banana chips, croquets, lemonade, plantains and sweet potato chips, we were served golden chicken on a bed of rice and beans with a typical Creole sauce. It was delicious. All in all, after some soursop ice cream and coffee, every single person at the table was more than satisfied. As a capstone to our massive dinners in Cuba, “El Aljibe” played its part. I don’t think any of us will forget that meal.