Art History Study Abroad Programs in Havana, Cuba

I studied abroad with IFSA-Butler in Fall 2019. It was an amazing program because it was pretty small, so we all became very close. I still talk to my roommate from Cuba almost every day. They also do incredible homestays. Everyone in my group loved their homestays and were so sad upon leaving. I also still talk to my Cuban host mom all the time. I remember talking to other US students who were put in apartments and honestly it’s just not the same as staying with a family. Also, the program coordinator for IFSA was awesome. Her office was really close-by and she was always there to help out. Actually, one night when we were out, my roommate’s phone got stolen and the coordinator was great and let her borrow a phone in the interim and went with her to the police station. I know this sounds ironic now that I just said that, but Cuba is sooo safe. There is catcalling, but really not a lot of street violence like in other big cities. I felt very safe walking around at night there. Some random tips I have are go sit on the Malecon at least once at sunset -- it's beautiful. Go on weekend trips and see as much of Cuba as you can! One of my biggest regrets is not traveling outside of Havana more. Really think about putting the Cuban SIM card you get into your own phone and not the phone IFSA provides, so you can buy data (paquetes). Also, I would highly recommend going to university parties! About once or twice a month, the FEU (federacion estudiantil universitaria) which is like the student government throws a party and it’s a great way to meet other college students. You have to buy a ticket, but it only costs 10 pesos cubanos which is like forty cents. Also, about academics, a lot of times classes are canceled or moved to a different classroom at the last second. You have to get used to being really flexible and patient. That’s why it’s especially important to be added to the WhatsApp group so you can keep up with any last-minute changes.

I studied abroad in Cuba during the fall semester of 2019 at the University of Havana. It was such a unique experience that I would not have been able to get anywhere else, because IFSA has a structure that allows for immersion in the local culture. I was welcomed by an amazing host mom who helped me significantly improve my Spanish. she’s an amazing chef, and was so encouraging and motivational. Our on-the-site program director was so accessible; literally her office was 1 block away from where I lived with my host family. All of us students in the program had weekly meetings with the program director where we were able to update her on how we were settling in and concerns that we had. Overall, I appreciate IFSA’s commitment to ensuring that students are integrated in the local community through different learning and experiential undertakings, as well as local activities not necessarily catered to tourists. These aspects about the specific IFSA program that I was in pushed me to pursue the goals that I had set for myself before embarking on my study abroad journey!