Exploring Cuba's Timeless Beauty
- brandonjbk
- Aug 27, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 2, 2023
Before wrapping up my MBA at Thunderbird, I had the chance to visit Cuba on an educational trip. A truly exciting opportunity to visit a country that was still under a Communist political approach. I had the chance to spend time in Havana, Varadero, Playa de Rio, and Trinidad. Such an incredible country, much of which is misunderstood. And yes, you can visit Cuba as an American. It will need to be under certain circumstances, but given the opportunity, I highly recommend spending the time visiting a country that has enormous beauty, culture, oh and that music!
While in Havana, I had the chance to check out Las Van Van play at one of the larger discotheques. I'm a bit of a salsero and this was a huge experience! Cuban salsa is a bit different than what you would see in the U.S. They tend to feel more of the music in their body and dance in a broader circular manner. What you see in the U.S. is passed down from New York, where the Cuban artists would come up and play a bit different of a tempo and the dance is more linear. The city of Havana has such amazing architecture. Almost feels like you're back in the 50s. Most folks do not flash their wealth, if they do possess it, given the government control. There's also this scent in the air that is from the lower quality petroleum that dissipates in the area. Not many folks in Cuba have cars or can afford to travel the country. In fact, many of them are not even allowed in Varadero, which is a popular European tourist area.
My friends had the chance to rent a car and head east. While visiting Playa de Rio, we jumped into a salsa competition and in fact won! The prize was a very large stash of Cuban Rum, which we happily split with a family from Iraq and Argentina. The country itself is filled with such kind people that truly appreciate the investment you are making into the country to understand the culture. There are certainly still challenges, our cab driver in Havana was a physician who made more money as a cabbie vs practicing. Yet, Cuban outcomes are competitive to the U.S. Education is free and it's a very safe country. Yet, incredibly difficult for upward mobility, something I'm not sure as Americans we fully understand if we haven't traveled to other countries such as Cuban to truly appreciate the freedoms we have.
After wrapping up my MBA, I had spent time in roughly 30 countries at this point in my life. This initial exposure would propel my goal that I would like to visit every country on the planet. I would just need to find the time to do so as I was just launching my career in pharmaceuticals. Luckly, I would schedule my PTO around some incredible adventures. More to come!
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