Cuba: Juan Carlos Garcia Martinez (Daily Life in Havana)

Day to Day en La Habana

I am staying in the neighborhood of Vedado during my time in Havana. As a central district full of restaurants, businesses and historical monuments, this area has an abundance of busy roads and sidewalks. However, Vedado isn’t just an area to walk or drive through but a lively environment teeming with eye-catching sights around every corner.

When I’m heading to class I’ll take a short walk a few blocks east of my homestay and eventually turn onto one of my favorite streets – Avenida de los Presidentes, a main road also known as calle G. Every block on G is like its own park, each containing a central statue of different national figures from Cuba and across Latin America. Most days I’ll walk uphill past the striking depictions of Simon Bolivar, Salvador Allende and Benito Juarez as I see people zoom by on motorbikes, taxi cabs and the multicolored collective taxis – the iconic cars from the 50s known here as máquinas. I’ll stay on this path until I can catch a máquina that joins the hustling traffic all the way up G toward the communication school.

After a day of classes, it is always nice to walk down the Malecón as the sun sets and the tide rises before heading home for the day. The Malecón is an extensive seawall spanning along a portion of the coast and is lined with huge monuments, a couple businesses and you can even find the U.S. embassy along this path. I’ll turn north toward the ocean and soon enough feel a cool mist of sea spray sprinkle over from the waves crashing against the sharp rocks and seawall.

I always see people taking strolls along the coast, fishing right off the wall or appreciating the various sculptures and artworks sprinkled throughout. I personally enjoy seeing the graffiti found on some of the older buildings and I’ll always stop to read the many quotes from national figures found throughout the path. Walking down the Malecón as the sun starts to set and the tide rises has been one of my favorite pastimes before heading home for the day. I feel very fortunate to get to experience all the beautiful natural landscapes and historical landmarks that Cuba has to offer.

Juan Carlos Garcia Martinez 

Major: Journalism, Chican@ & Latin@ Studies

Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Program: IFSA Universidad de la Habana Partnership

Receiving the Global Gateway Fellowship means I will be able to fully embrace a completely new educational environment. I will get to explore countless experiences as well as share some of myself with the world thanks to this opportunity.

I love connecting with people who share my interests and want to expand that network across the world! Taking in different perspectives includes perspectives outside of your immediate physical environment and I would love to build bridges that will remain beyond the duration of my study abroad experience. I love art and history and how the two intersect! I’m definitely interested in exploring the cultural landscape of Cuba through its endless public art displays, beautiful architecture and more.