Submitted by Francesca Cheatham on the 2018 winter session program in Cuba sponsored by the Department of Art…
The first thing I noticed about Cuba when we touched down was how slow it was. Not slow as in unprepared or incapable, but unhurried. In the United States, the world is at the speed-of-light; coffee in two minutes, hurry to go to work, drive-thru meals so that you don’t take more than half an hour for lunch. On time is five minutes late, replies must be written ten minutes after receiving an email. Now, now, now. In Cuba, the world takes its time. Access to the internet is a commodity in Cuba; controlled by the government and paid for through hourly internet cards, there are only a few hot spots available where you can find dozens of people on their phones, tablets, and laptops, all trying to connect. However, this trait should not be romanticized so much that reality is blurred; plans are fit to change at a moment’s notice. Whether due to infrastructure problems like a sudden power outage or the government needs to use the venue for an event (both of which occurred within the first week abroad), flexibility and patience are the name of the game in Cuba.