#fallbreak2016

[travisdixongoestocuba]

Living in Vedado, a community in Havana, Cuba

[travisdixongoestocuba]

My experiences that I have had in Cuba have been very eye-opening. Cuba is an island that is only 90 miles off the coast of Florida, but it is very different culturally, economically, and civilly. There is a heavy Spanish and African influence from when the Spaniards recruited slaves in the 1500’s. There are two forms of currency which make economic growth near impossible without shutting down half of the people in the country. The government is a socialist government, where people are treated “equally” and unbiasedly, essentially where a taxi driver can make the same (if not more than because of tips) as a doctor. The people are absolutely fantastic and loving, always making sure that I was taken care of.

Saying goodbye to our host family was actually really hard. For the entire week we were there, Mercedes and her son Jordan provided us a place to stay, fed us every day, and conversed with us like we were their own family. We spoke of God, politics, history, current events and so many other things—it was great to gain the typical Cuban’s perspective on life.

My favorite day was probably beach day- where the waves were still huge due to the untimely presence of hurricane Matthew. We also got to explore the Museum of the Revolution, which provided us with so much history and confirmed to us all of the materials and readings we had covered in-class before we entered the country. We had learned in a class setting the harmfulness of stereotypes that Americans have about Cubans and that Cubans also have about Americans. It’s important to remove these stereotypes to help establish better relations between the US and Cuba. We also were able to give service, including working in the organic gardens that help to feed the mouths of hungry Cubans.

Adjusting to life back at home has been interesting. I was definitely excited to be with my wife again, and things were just as I had left them, although jumping right back into work and school was a little bit of a challenge. I couldn’t believe how nice the things we have at home were though. I think it must have been the carpet in our one bedroom, second floor apartment. I’m very grateful to have become acquainted with the beautiful country of Cuba and look forward to returning soon!

[eduarfdzb]

Proud of this little dude who did awesome today hiking Camelback Mountain even running some of the trail on the way up... way to go son! ♡ #arizona #phoenix #camelbackmountain #camelbackers #camelback #hiking #hike #climbing #climb #prouddad #hikingbuddy #hikingbuddy #optoutside #rei1440project #52hikechallenge #peoplewhohike #arizonahiking #hikearizona #arizonamountains #arizonahikersguide #mountain #getoutside #fallbreak2016 #wehike #instagramaz #arizonacollective #myphx #az365 #toughkid #highfive (at Top of Camelback, 2704 Elevation)

[travisdixongoestocuba]

I have been anticipating with much excitement my departure to Cuba for months now, and my experience with learning abroad has been amazing! The day has finally arrived! My program is a little unique in that our time abroad occurs over fall break for 8 days, whereas other programs tend to spend a semester or even a year abroad. We have as a class, however, that meets weekly and discusses the special and unique history and culture of Cuba. I have come to understand more the experiences that Cubans have passed through in its political reforms and historically defining moments. I have developed a greater respect for the people of Cuba, a country with my own familial roots. My great grandmother was born in Cuba and her parents migrated to Cuba from Spain. In preparation for my learning abroad experience, there have been a few obstacles that I have had to work around. First off I worried about the time that I would need to schedule off of my full time job, but luckily my managers were awesome and able to work with me to allow me the time off to make the trip possible. Another obstacle I faced was in flying to Miami International. Miami was the designated airport we needed to get to as a class individually to meet up and fly into Havana. We all had domestic flights booked months in advance, but in the week approaching our trip Hurricane Matthew was passing through the Caribbean and projected to hit Florida as a strong category 4 hurricane. This caused many of our domestic flights to be cancelled and we began to wonder if we were going to be able to make the trip happen. Through hours of waiting on the phone with the airline, they were able to reschedule my flight to Miami and get me there on time to catch the scheduled chartered flight to Havana. Fortunately, Hurricane Matthew passed through the Caribbean and up the Atlantic coast leaving Havana and South Florida largely unaffected. It appears there “ain’t no stopping us now” as we prepare to board the flight to Havana! We are super excited and ready to learn and experience the beautiful culture of Cuba!

[sirwizzo]

Going #camping on the #beach! #wizniakboys #fallbreak2016 #gottagetaway #wizniakboysadventures #sleepswiththefishes #lovemyboys💙 (at Santa Clarita, California)