This past winter term, I went on an abroad trip to Cuba with a group of fellow DePauw students. It was a service-based trip, called Cuba in the Digital Literacy Age. We stayed in three different cities in Cuba throughout our trip: Havana, Viñales, and Varadero. Each city brought its own unique adventures and kept us on our toes; nothing was predictable.
To start, it was a blessing in the first place that we were able to travel to Cuba given the new travel ban implemented by President Trump. The entire time we were there, I know many of the students felt this sentiment, so we felt even more grateful than usual to be in the beautiful country. Working with students aged 13-35 on computer literacy and the use of programs such as Word, PowerPoint, video editing, and coding was useful because we learned how much we already knew about these programs as well as how to interact and teach in Spanish. However, most importantly, we learned that the preconceived notions we had towards each other prior to our experiences together were basically all false. Many of the Cubans thought we were elitist and that we believed we were superior to them. Many of the U.S. students believed that Cubans would think that we were uptight, and that we reflected some of the negative values of our current President. Fortunately, in both cases, we were wrong.
This goes to show how much we can’t really understand something or someone until we experience it or interact with them firsthand. That’s why I believe traveling abroad and immersing yourself in a different culture is so important to our growth as human beings and as global citizens. Often times, the media we are exposed to tells a much different story about different places in the world than their reality. Consequentially, this negative media encourages us to never explore these places because they are too dangerous or too unfamiliar. I will admit that before leaving for Cuba, I was extremely nervous because I was being fed all of this information from so many different voices about what could happen to me.
And of course, something can always happen, but that is a risk we have to be willing to take. Going to Cuba took me so far out of my comfort zone that it made me realize that, with a little willpower and some courage, we really can do anything we put our minds to. We have to be willing to take that leap of faith and trust that, regardless of what happens in a different country, we are bound to learn something valuable about ourselves, as well as about the world around us. For example, if it weren’t for Cuba, I wouldn’t have realized how much I hope to become a teacher in the future. Working with and serving others, as well as building such strong relationships with complete strangers, showed me that the human race, regardless of what is happening in our modern society, is in fact good. People are people regardless of where they come from, and they really just want to be happy; oftentimes, they find that happiness while interacting with those different than them.
That’s why I think it is so important for DePauw students to take advantage of the winter term and study abroad programs. There are very few universities in this country that can provide these experiences with relative ease, in cost-effective ways. I know many of us like to say that we hope to travel the world when we graduate from school, but the reality is that most of us will be paying off our college debts and trying to get on our feet as new members of the adult working world. College is the perfect time to explore this side of ourselves, especially because most of the trips we take are through the university, meaning we get the opportunity to take advantage of the full experience with the use of tour guides and jam-packed itineraries.
I’ve realized through this experience that I’d rather buy experiences that will stick with me forever than material items that are very much fleeting. You can buy those experiences by taking these types of trips. I would highly encourage you all to try to get off campus at least once in your four years here, because although I can’t guarantee it will be the best time of your life like it was for me, I can guarantee that you will learn something pretty significant about yourself.