Welcome to the January Term 2016 Cuba Blog

Hello everyone!

My name is Tyler Moon and for the next three and a half weeks I'll be reporting the happenings of the Spanish 340 January Term trip to Cuba. I'm a senior business management major and communications studies and Spanish double minor from Sauk Rapids, Minnesota. Besides going to class, I spend most of my time watching or playing sports. I was a member of the Luther football team for four years.

My interest in studying Spanish language and culture started when I was in high school and has continued to grow since coming to Luther. I've traveled outside of the United States two times. In the summer of 2013, I took a week-long road trip to Canada with my friends and more recently in June 2015, I traveled to Norway for 10 days with the Luther football team. Both of these experiences were great, but this trip will be different as we will be completely immersed in Cuba for three and a half weeks.

Joining me in Cuba will be 13 other students along with Professor Alfredo Alonso Estenoz, our faculty leader, who is a native Cuban. We will spend most of our time in Havana, the capital city, which lies on the northern coast of Cuba. In Havana, we will be staying with host families as well as attending classes at La Universidad de La Habana (The University of Havana). Besides attending classes, we will be taking part in cultural activities, such as salsa dancing lessons, cooking classes, guided tours, and meeting Cuban students. In addition, we will be taking weekend excursions to Las Terrazas, a beautiful nature reserve, and La Ciudad de Las Montanzas, a coastal city where many of Cuba's original sugar plantations were located. 

I’m excited (and a little nervous) for our trip, but I'm ready. I'm ready to improve my Spanish skills, I'm ready to experience Cuba, and of course I'm ready to share all of our noteworthy events with you. WiFi is spotty in Cuba, but I will try my best to post 2-3 times a week!

Until next time,

Tyler