For junior Jennifer Dickman, discovering that DePauw University was offering a Winter Term trip to Cuba was a chance far too rare to pass up.
"Spanish is my minor, so I've been looking for a forum to really speak the language," Dickman said. "There's such a small window of opportunity to go to Cuba, so I jumped on it."
For Professor Marcelle McVorran, one of the two faculty leaders for the Cuba winter term, travelling to Cuba is an incredibly important opportunity experience for students. The purpose of the trip wasn't just for students to learn about Cuba and America's historical and present relationship, but also to experience the socio-cultural impact of the Marxist revolution on all aspects of Cuban culture.
"It's a different government structure, a place where people who have left the country voluntarily have all kinds of stories to tell," McVorran said. "We wanted to expose our students to alternative constructions of that reality, as well as come up with their own conclusions of what Cuba means."
In order to get the students more involved and well-informed on Cuban culture, students attended multiple meetings prior to the trip composed of discussions about contemporary and historical Cuba, as well as talks about cultural differences.
For Dickman, those meetings were crucial.
"While I was excited for the trip, I was also a little nervous; I didn't know exactly what to expect at all," Dickman said. "We don't commonly speak about Cuba in the US."
In order for DePauw to receive approval from the United States government to go to Cuba, students had to be approved on both American and Cuban regulations, which only allowed students to visit state-owned locations and agency-sponsored events that had religious or educational purposes.
"I was chomping at the bit with the structure, because I'm not a tourist," McVorran said. "But I understood that the licensing office had to do that. We were lucky to have had this approved, and so we to meet the terms of the program."
Upon arrival, students were thrown full-speed into a tightly packed agenda. From cultural centers and museums, to universities and even dance centers, the group was constantly travelling from one place to another via tour bus. Students were able to indulge in a wide range of activities that allowed them to experience multiple aspects of Cuban culture.
According to junior Seth Morris, the unique dynamic among the rather small group of DePauw students and two faculty leaders gave the trip a personal, comfortable feel.
"Professor Fenlon's awesome energy gave the trip so much life. No matter what environment we were in, she was so upbeat," Morris said. "I just tried to focus on soaking everything in."
Due to Cuba's strict policy on tourists, one activity that students were almost unable to experience, but ended up being a highlight of their trip, was the chance to speak with the Amigos, or Cuban students.
"The conversations between the two different types of students were absolutely rich," McVorran said. "I think the knowledge and level of intelligence in terms of everything from foreign policy to art and music that the Amigos were able to give our students shocked them; many DePauw students voiced how much more informed they felt that the Amigos were in comparison to themselves."
According to sophomore Penny Hyde, that welcome feeling that the Amigos gave DePauw students extended past the classroom.
"Before I went to Cuba, I had these pre-conceived notions that Cubans hate Americans," Hyde said. "But as I talked with them, I realized we were one in the same; we read the same books, enjoyed the same music, and had so much in common. There's a lot to be learned from the way they live their lives."
Dickman agrees with Hyde about the personable energy given off by the Cuban natives.
"The natives actually wanted to talk to us about real issues, which made me feel more welcomed there than I do in many American cities," Dickman said.
McVorran feels confident that DePauw will be able to offer the trip as a Winter Term option again.
"I honestly learned that there are lots of other types of people in the world, and cultural barriers are better broken down," Dickman said. "I think it's important for everyone to have the opportunity to experience that."