Princeton University Athletics
Track & Field Blog from Cuba - Day 1
June 19, 2015 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
Day 1 Video
Day 1
Although the first day of our travels started yesterday, today is Day 1 in Cuba. We all met at the Miami Airport, a total of 77 of us, coming in from all over parts of the U.S. We had a team meeting at the hotel, conveniently located in the airport itself, and went over some introductions, do's and don'ts and instructions. It was an early wake up all for the group as we all met at check-in at 5 a.m. And we sure did need all 2.5 hours it took to get checked in, through security and onto our charter flight. The flight was short, less than an hour and voila (a French word seems strange to use here, but nonetheless) we were on the ground in Cuba!We met our tour guides Tatianna, Javier and Raul, exchanged our money for CUCs (pronounced coukz) – something that can't be done in the United States as the Convertible Cuban Peso is not recognized. We boarded onto our three buses and started off on a driven tour of Havana.
Our first stop was to the Revolution Plaza. We drove through different municipalities in the City and learned about what makes each one unique. Our first meal was at El Arijbe, a privately owned – as opposed to a state run – restaurant in Miramar. This restaurant was also featured on the TV show, Anthony Bourdain's “No Reservations”. This is also where we came across our first cigar and rum store – the most popular offerings of the country.
Finally, with our bellies full our tour continued – this time on foot – to work off the arroz y frejoles y pollo (rice, beans and chicken). We hit Old Havana and split off into our three bus groups to tour the city and its four squares. We met some characters, saw the sights and took it all in.
Feeling tired we arrived at our hotel Melia Cohiba, We had an orientation meeting and then (exhale) checked into our rooms. We had a couple hours of free time. Some of us showered, napped, went to buy water, ran and then it was off to dinner.
Another great meal awaited, and then some free time before curfew. It was a whirlwind of a first day. We saw so much in one day and can't wait to see more!
Q&A with Katie Hanss
My favorite part of the day was trying some authentic Cuban espresso. After an early flight it was much appreciated.
What was the most interesting thing you learned about Cuba today?
The most interesting aspect of the day was learning about privatized versus public restaurants. Recently Cuba has begun to allow citizens to own and run their own restaurants; however the majority are still government owned. Especially coming from America, learning the monetary flow of the government-run businesses was particularly interesting.
What has surprised you most about Cuba?
The food we've had so far in Cuba has been surprisingly good. Many people warned us it might be bland, but it was been fantastic.
What was your favorite food from today?
The best food of the day was definitely the fish. We are currently about 900 meters from the ocean so it's pretty fresh and very delicious.
What are you most looking forward to on the trip?
I'm most looking forward to continuing to learn about how Cuba is governed. The extent of governmental control is obviously far and beyond that of the US and understanding the benefits and ramifications of the system is really fascinating.