U.S. Students Return from Study Abroad in Cuba
Studying abroad doesn’t often mean studying in Cuba, but that’s just what a group from Brown University did last semester. Arriving in late August, they managed to observe Cubans reaction to the election results as well as experience to Hurricane Ike.
One student reported that Cubans perceived President Obama as a representative of the American people rather than part of the U.S. government. The students observed that many of the islands’ inhabitants are hopeful that the new administration will bring about a shift in U.S. - Cuba relations. U.S. students were able to vote in the election at the U.S. Interests Section, an office which represents the American government and its citizens in Cuba.
The Americans students enjoyed red-carpet treatment. They were only permitted brief stays in Cuban homes and instead were given a residence of their own. During Hurricane Ike, the students were evacuated to the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, They studied at Casa de las Americas, a research institute, rather than the University of Havana. Some Cuban students were also enrolled at the institute, but they were older and the Americans would have preferred being integrated into typical university life.