Cuban lifestyle makes big impact
Daisy Ortiz,
Spanish Editor
July 26, 2017
Two weeks ago, I was a travel enthusiast and a student who wanted to accumulate as many credits as possible in order to graduate next spring. The study abroad program in Cuba seemed like the perfect opportunity, especially for my communication major and because the program was journalism specific. I ...
Money conversion causes confusion for tourists in Cuba
Daisy Ortiz,
Spanish Editor
July 26, 2017
My parents always demanded that my siblings and I speak only Spanish in our household. We would learn English in school, so for the most part we followed their rule, not realizing how much it would pay back later. When first arriving to Cuba, the language barrier wasn’t under my list of concerns. I kn...
A woman’s place in a foreign country
Kali Persall,
Managing Editor
July 26, 2017
My favorite monument in Havana lives in the courtyard of the Plaza Vieja. A voluptuous woman wielding a fork rides a giant rooster that stands poised on one leg. There’s no plaque and no explanation of the meaning behind the statue, but it’s intriguing and strangely empowering. The woman is una...
Cuban neighborhood has familiar feel for me
Rebecca Esparza,
Contributor
July 19, 2017
My tour guide decided to take me to an area that had a bit more “poverty” or more poor houses, also known as “the projects.” The first thing I noticed was the graffiti, which was very similar to back home. I admired the kids from the block playing together. That’s what I used to ...
Cuba opens American eyes
Kali Persall,
Managing Editor
July 19, 2017
The warm water, palm trees and crystal-white sand of the Santa Maria beach were everything I pictured when I used to think of Cuba, a picturesque island in the Caribbean. However, over the past four days, my rosy tourist perspective has disintegrated as my eyes open to the real Cuba, a very different...
Dining overseas has its challenges for tourists
Kali Persall,
Managing Editor
July 12, 2017
You can tell a lot about a culture by observing its mealtime rituals. In America, convenience and efficiency are prioritized over both quality of food and togetherness. In Cuba, the process is much slower and more laborious. Drive-thru’s don’t exist and you’re forced to take a more active role in d...
Has Fidel Castro’s death changed anything in the country?
Daisy Ortiz,
Spanish Editor
July 12, 2017
On Nov. 25, 2016, Cubans celebrated with pots and pans in the streets of Miami, joyful of what they thought would be a turning point for their homeland, Cuba. In the United States, we received the news right away and stopped transmitting other programs to talk about the death of Fidel Cas...
Blog from Cuba: Small business, big surprise
Daisy Ortiz,
Spanish Editor
July 12, 2017
Havana is a mix between grey and white. I say grey because, unfortunately for some and a blessing for others, even the best parts of Havana aren’t what you would see in the United States. Many of the hotels are built in the middle of run-down buildings in which people still live. Some b...
Off the grid, out of country: Visualizing two weeks in Havana, Cuba
Kali Persall,
Managing Editor
July 5, 2017
Just two months shy of my 24th birthday, I had never traveled outside of the United States. That changed on Friday when Havana, Cuba became my home for the next two weeks. Approximately 25 Cal State East Bay students will experience two weeks with limited phone service, wifi or contact with the...
Cal State Cuba: Students make trek from Hayward to Havana this summer
Stephen Freitas,
Contributor
May 24, 2017
On June 30, approximately 25 Cal State East Bay students — including myself — will fly from Los Angeles to Havana, Cuba, where we will take classes in documentary film and photojournalism, and produce our own films, long-form articles and photo essays as part of a new study abroad program create...
Voices from London: Can you do something you love as a career?
Loralie Yumang,
Contributor
August 31, 2016
Our study abroad trip to London has taught me a very important outlook: your major does not define every aspect of your being, as us college students like to believe. This study abroad program is essentially a collection of communication classes, but the catch is that I am an accounting student. As an accou...
