October 26–November 2, 2019

Program Details

Summary

CIEE will organize an eight day and seven night program for Penn State Altoona for a minimum of 10 students in October/November 2019 based in Havana, Cuba. Two faculty/staff from Penn State Altoona will accompany the students and lead the program.

Health, Safety, and Security

  • 24/7 emergency support via phone
  • iNext Comprehensive Ultimate Travel Insurance plus Political and Natural Disaster Evacuation Package
  • On-site orientation including pertinent information on housing, cultural issues, health and safety protocol, and local logistics
  • Airport transfer upon arrival
  • Cell phone
  • Airport transfer upon departure
  • Visa fees
  • CIEE program assistant to accompany on all CIEE-arranged site visits and excursions

Academics

  • Guest lecture
  • Guest lecture

Program Activities

Co-Curricular & Cultural Activities

  • Walking tour of Old Havana: Visits to Plaza de La Catedral, Plaza de Armas, Plaza Vieja, and Plaza de San Francisco. Tour guide included.
  • Alamar organic farm: Tour of farm and discussion of agriculture in Cuba
  • Cojimar neighborhood: Explore this small seaside village where Ernest Hemingway kept his fishing boat, Pilar. In Cojimar he was inspired to write his famous novel The Old Man and the Sea.
  • Folkloric dance workshop: Students will observe and participate in Cuba's folkloric dance, Cucalambe, a dance that comes from the Afrocuban religious traditions. The group will have a chance to watch a performance as well as learn some new dance moves!
  • Fabrica de Arte: An oil warehouse that has been converted into an art gallery and night club with music, drinks, and theater
  • Tour of Bellas Artes Cuban art museum: Bellas Artes is the biggest art museum in Cuba with an impressive collection of paintings and sculptures
  • Visit to Cuban neighborhood clinic: Includes an overview of Cuban healthcare
  • Visit Ameijeriras Hospital: One of the biggest hospitals in Cuba, distinguished by its highly trained staff
  • Visit to La Castellana: A community mental health center
  • Visit to a maternal health center: Witness how maternal health is one of the top priorities for the Cuban government
  • Visit to an elderly home: Feel the tenderness of the staff in an elderly home
  • Visit to ELAM Latin American School of Medicine: Explore internationalism in Cuban medicine
  • Visit to Lawton neighborhood: Focus on informal communities, internal migration, Afro-Cuban religion, race, and natural medicine. Tour guide included.
  • Visit to Jose Marti's memorial: Jose Marti is the Cuban National Hero
  • Visit a nursing school

Day Trips

Day trip to Las Terrazas: Learn about the history of Las Terrazas eco reserve and hike to coffee plantation ruins. Visit to artist?s studio and museum in honor of singer Polo Montanez included.

Program Logistics

Accommodations

  • Casa Particular accommodations for students: Double occupancy in the Vedado neighborhood within walking distance to the University of Havana and the CIEE Study Center. Includes breakfast, dinner, and boiled drinking water.
  • Casa Particular accommodations for faculty: Single occupancy in the Vedado neighborhood within walking distance to the University of Havana and the CIEE Study Center. Includes breakfast, dinner, and boiled drinking water.

Meals

  • Welcome dinner
  • Farewell dinner
  • Additional group lunch

Program Fees

  • Price per student:
    • 10-14: $1,925
    • 15-19: $1,890
    • 20-24: $1,875
    • 25+: $1,865
  • Price per faculty member: $2,025
  • Guest participation is subject to sending institution approval. If you are bringing guests who will participate in the program, they will be considered full paying participants
  • Round-trip airfare from the U.S. is not included in pricing
  • All program participants, including faculty, students, and staff, are required to sign a CIEE contract. You may request copies for review by your legal team.
  • Pricing and itinerary in this proposal are not guaranteed if MOU is not signed and returned by August 05, 2019.
  • Institution must sign the Memorandum of Understanding before the program participants depart the US. If MOU is not signed CIEE will not run the program and Institution will not be issued any refunds.

Registration and Deadlines

Registration Deadline: Saturday, June 2, 2019
On-line registration

  • A limited number of participants will be accepted.
  • Your judicial and academic records will be checked as a part of the registration process.
  • Once registered, you are committed to payment for the trip even if you cannot attend.​

About the Location

Founded in 1519, Havana is the largest city in Cuba with a population of two million. It is the political and economic hub of the country, and boasts a vibrant arts scene—from the music for which the island nation is famous to film, dance, and visual arts. Havana’s strategic location in the Caribbean once made Cuba an important colonial possession. The Spanish treasure fleets would overwinter here to prepare for the return journey to Spain. A city wall and a string of fortifications along the coast were built to protect Havana from pirate attacks; by 1774 it was the most fortified city in the Americas. In 1982, Old Havana was named a UNESCO World Heritage site and the restoration process has been recognized internationally for its success in combining historic preservation and investments for international tourism with local community development.

Resident Staff

Melisa Riviere serves as the CIEE Havana Director. Melisa brings with her 20 years of academic experience in Latin American Studies and in the Study Abroad field. Being a first generation Latina, born in the US to Argentinean parents, Melisa has focused her studies on Cuba, Puerto Rico, as well as on Latinos in the United States. In her most recent role as Lecturer and Administrator for the Institute for Global Studies at the University of Minnesota, she led semester, Summer and faculty-led groups abroad to Cuba and Puerto Rico. Before that, she was Academic Director on Cuban History, Culture and Identity. Melisa holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s degree in Anthropology from the same institution. Her interests include academic research and art.