News & Articles About College & University

Hello From Cuba - Part 4 - Bureaucracy Galore - The University Of Havana

Hotel Havana Libre, Tuesday, April 5, 2005, 7:20 pm

Yesterday I had to sign up for my Spanish course at the University of Havana. The Campus of the University is an astoundingly beautiful collection of classical buildings and a Cuban tank graces the entrance to the library.

At 9 am all the foreign students, about 40 of them, met in the Edificio Varona and we were shepherded by various professors into a very antiquated lecture hall. (By the way, of the 5 or 6 washroom stalls in the women?s bathroom, only 1 or 2 have toilets in them, no toilet seats, and no running water in the sinks. Again a sign of rather run-down infrastructure...)

There they told us about the program, but only in Spanish, which was okay for me, since I speak Spanish, but about half the group was completely lost. We then had to do a quick written placement test to assess our existing Spanish skills and then the bureaucracy began.

We found out that we needed the following documents:

- a copy of our passports

- an official copy of the hotel guest card and/or a copy of the licence of the private Casa Particular

- 200 CUC (Convertible Cuban Pesos) in cash for a 2-week course or more for other courses

- 40 CUC for changing our tourist visa to an academic visa (in fiscal stamps which we had to obtain abuot 5 km away)

- 2 passport photos

- 25 CUC in cash to expedite our academic visa if we are in town for only 2 weeks.

I linked up with a bunch of foreign students and we headed off together on our quest to fulfill the Cuban desire for Burocratismo. We first obtained cash at bank at the Hotel Havana Libre, then got the passport pictures done (to be ready for pickup 3 hours later), then searched for the other bank on Calle 23 that would provide us with the 40CUC stamps for the academic visa. With extremely long lineups everywhere, this took us about 2 or 3 hours.

Then we got really hungry and we were approached by a local "Jinetero" (restaurant tout) who promised us a complete meal with main dish, salad and side dish for 6 or 7 CUC. We walked with him, only to find out that the wait at the Paladar (private restaurant) would be about 45 minutes to even sit down, not including food preparation time.

So we walked up Calle 21 and a private restaurant owner approached us for a meal and we gave in and came inside. It was a beautiful colonial villa, except that the guest room with is obligatory 3 tables and 12 seats was in a dark small dingy room completely without windows.

However, we had a delicious home-cooked meal, I had roasted chicken with rice & beans, salad and a lemon soft drink, all for 8 CUC (about 8 US$). 2 of my student colleagues were from Germany and the other fellow is from Toronto as well, but originally from Poland. We had some great conversations and it was interesting linking up with a bunch of Europeans in Havana.

After a brief rest in the hotel, my friend Pedro again picked me up in the evening and I couldn?t help but tell him about my experience with the Cocotaxi driver yesterday, who had tried to pick me up, despite my clarifications and statements that I was married and not interested in any amorous activities.

Pedro explained that sexual relations in Cuba are a relatively common, easy-going thing and that it is very common for people to link up for quick "meaningful overnight relationships". He referred to the Cuban people as very "passionate and hot-blooded", I guess that explains a couple of the advances that I have been receiving so far, particularly since there is also quite a lot of sex tourism where men (and even women) come to Cuba to engage in easily available erotic experiences.

Pedro and I walked through the old town and of course along the Malecon (the seafront boulevard) and saw the beautiful Plaza Vieja and the Plaza de la Catedral where a mass was being held for the passing of Pope John Paul II.

This was very interesting, since Cuba is a Communist / official atheist country and there are much fewer Catholics today than before the Revolution. Actually much of Cuba?s religion is a mixture of Catholicism and Santeria (religious practices of the African slaves). Regardless of religiousness, Cuba has declared a 3-day "duelo nacional" (a national mourning period for the Pope) and the mass was attended by hundreds of people.

Pedro and I then had a nice meal in the "Barrio Chino" (Havana's Chinatown) for 5.60 CUC (less than US$6) for 2 people and 2 vegetarian meals and soft drinks. After a nice dinner he again flagged down a local private car driver and gave him about 1 CUC for picking us up and dropping us off at my Hotel. At midnight I dropped into bed, exhausted.

However, at 4 am this morning I awoke with major intestinal problems. Apparently my Chinese meal had not become me so well and I had serious digestive issues emanating from both sides of my body. This morning I realy felt rotten and I ended up using my own medical kit for the first time and took some Immodium.

I was unable to eat breakfast, but I made my way to the university where at 9 am our classes started. Surprisingly the placement test had put me into the level of "perfeccionamiento", the highest level and the level of Spanish in my class was indeed very high. The class consists of 7 students, a young woman from England, a young female medical student from Denmark, a middle-aged female doctor from Finland, a young male law student from Sweden, a young woman and man from Norway and myself from Austria/Canada.

Obviuosly there is a very heavy Scandinavian slant in my class and it seems everyone in the class is a hobby sociologist, political scientist, environmentalist and historian. We asked some rather tough questions about Cuban life, the political system, the economic hardships, the double economy, the situation of women and blacks in Cuba, machismo and the situation of the environment.

Some of these questions made our female professor feel extremely uncomfortable and it seemed like she was squirming under the barrage of probing political and sociological questions. She got very defensive a few times about the Cuban system and only after we discussed the good and bad aspects of European and Canadian societies did she loosen up a bit and become a bit more open and frank about the real Cuban life. It seems that to this day Cubans have to be very careful about what they say in public.

For example, she frankly admitted that racism still exists in Cuba and to this day it is still a country with a lot of machismo. However, she did not admit that Internet access and access to non-Communist media is forbidden for Cubans, she simply explained it as an economic issue. (Several of my colleagues had heard otherwise in their travels in Cuba, simply that a Cuban is not allowed to have access to the Internet). She also admitted that it is not allowed for Cubans to visit the tourist areas of the Cayos (e.g. Cayo Coco) which is exclusively reserved for tourists and Cubans have no access to that area whatsoever, a definite point of contention among the locals.

Class ended about 1:20 and my upset stomach did not allow me to intake any food. I headed back to my hotel, slept a little and have been on the Internet for the past 2 or so hours (racking up a bill of about $US 20.00 or s0), documenting my trip.

It?'ll be a quiet evening tonight since I am trying to settle down my stomach. But I am sure the adventures and the learning will continue tomorrow.

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions (http://www.travelandtransitions.com). Find unconventional travel information, cross-cultural experiences, interviews with travellers and other inspiring people. Submit your own travel stories & win an exciting Amazon River cruise! "Life is a Journey - Explore New Horizons?

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

Online Education and Online Degrees - Many Options Available for Distance Education
Online education is the latest trend in alternative education choices. Also known as distance learning, options in online education are being pursued by people from all over the world who are looking to further their education.

Eduventures Study Helps Colleges and Universities Understand Growing Complexity of Online Higher Education Market
As the online higher education continues its transformation - moving from the periphery to the mainstream - schools offering online programming will find themselves competing in an increasingly complex market, according to Eduventures' latest report, Understanding the National Online Higher Education Market.

College Admission Essay-Your Ticket to College
College admission essays are some of the most important factor materials which can predict your future in college education. There are so many schools which require these papers to be written because they provide a lot of information about your personality. Apparently, the writing techniques and the scopes of topic in your college admission paper can have a big impact to the results of your application for college. If you want to be a part of a certain educational institution, then you must be able to impress the evaluators of such school in order for you to get accepted.

Excel College to Begin Online College Degree Courses in Early 2008
Excel College, an accredited online community college, has announced that it will begin offering business, technology, legal studies, health sciences and early childhood development education courses in early 2008. The college is a division of Excel Group, which owns and operates accredited online high schools in Minnesota, Florida and Louisiana.

Colleges and Universities Turn to Online Communities to Boost Enrollment Yield
EducationDynamics' web-based UPeers program cultivates engagement rates as high as 70 percent, resulting in enrollment increases.

"College Degree Preferred": College Graduates Earn Higher Salaries Austin's National American University Talks Salaries
National American University (NAU), a fully accredited, four-year university with bachelor's, associate and master's level degrees, is helping Austinites increase their income by providing flexible degree programs that are tailored for working individuals and people with busy lives.

Florida Association of Community Colleges Joins Capella University's Education Partnership Program
Online university partners with Florida's 28 community colleges.

Online Degree Forum Opens For Students Seeking Information About Accredited Colleges And Universities
For the first time you can participate in a community of people seeking both traditional and online degrees. Degree.net seeks to help you by providing this community with free information packets on all accredited colleges and universities.

Distance Learning, Online Education, Electronic Education, Electronic Learning…Call It What You Want
Whatever you want to label "learning at home" and however you want to define the latest buzz words for non-traditional education, you can find a program and method that suits your needs. Right now over 1.

Northcentral University and Rio Salado College Announce Online Learning Teacher Education Partnership
Online Learning Agreement Allows Students to Complete Bachelor's Degrees in Education.

Distance Education & Online Degrees - The Business of Distance Education
The business of distance learning – online education courses offered by colleges, universities, and trade schools – is an up and down affair. On the surface it would seem that distance learning providers are doing quite well, but according to a May 12, 2005 report at the Motley Fool financial website, the stocks of companies like eCollege and SkillSoft are earning less than honorable marks in the market.

Online College Degree Programs - The New Way To Get an Education
Modern technology has done wonders in making our lives easier. In today's world we have cars that can tell you when you're lost and keep you from getting lost in the first place, telephones that can dial out just by being asked to, and colleges that you can attend from your home computer because of the advent of distance learning.

Northcentral University Introduces New Online Higher Education College of Law Enforcement and Security
Focused programs at Northcentral University offered at significant savings to law enforcement professionals.

College Admissions Essays that Take 1st Place -A Personal Statement Checklist
Congratulations on your move toward a college degree. And congratulations on seeking support for writing your admissions essay/personal statement.