LANGUAGE LEARNING:
Spanish in Havana, Cuba
 Sarah
Spencer, Head of Cactus Language, sums up her thoughts on her
trip to Cuba.
On a trip to Cuba last May, visiting the Spanish schools
we work with, I was lucky enough to spend some time in Havana,
practise my Spanish, watch a salsa lesson and meet the teachers
and some hosts from the schools we work with in Vedado and
Miramar.
Havana is a stunning city and my first thoughts were that
it was bigger than I expected. Being coastal, however, means
the city has an air of spaciousness about it that you don’t
always get with land-locked capitals.
The architecture in Havana is a sight to behold. It ranges
from the crumbling 1950s edifices of the Vedado area to the
modern skyscraper hotels and embassy buildings of Miramar
to the refurbished and beautifully colonial cafes and squares
in the old town. I stayed a couple of nights at the Havana
Libre hotel in Vedado on the 22nd floor – and the views
over the city were wonderful.
Vedado is also the University district of the city so it
has a youthful and safe feel about it. There are some cafes
and bars but nothing like you would find it European cities.
It’s when you start to explore and behave like a tourist
usually would; eating in cafes, shopping, going out for a
drink, that you feel the communism hovering over the city.
You don’t see any chains of shops or restaurants and
any shops that are there are decidedly lacking in things to
buy. But this is of course not the reason people come to Havana.
Practising Spanish on the other hand is the perfect way to
while away the time in this time-less city. It is very easy
to meet people and get chatting in the street. When people
hear you are English you are usually bombarded with “Ah
David Beckham!” but if you decide to practise your Spanish
you will find a youthful enthusiasm to learn about your culture
and I managed to get into topics such as what various times
of night it gets dark in the UK!
The people of Havana, and Cuba for that matter, are very
lively, vivacious, friendly, inquisitive and very warm indeed.
The people hosting students learning Spanish seem to really
enjoy meeting people from other countries, collecting photos
and learning all about other countries and cultures. All this,
along with glorious weather year-round, offers the perfect
platform to practise and expand your Spanish.
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