>>> Narrator: Coming up on Globe Scholars - students travel to Cuba to see what Havana, Viñales, and Varadero are all about!

From Cuba's iconic beaches, to its tobacco fields, to the legendary Tropicana - get ready to see this island nation under Communist rule up close and personal.

♪ [SALSA MUSIC] ♪ >>> Cuba!

>>> Tinabeth Piña: By day, I’m a TV reporter, but at night, I write a travel blog because I love to travel.

It brings people and cultures together.

And when a student travels abroad, not only do they become a global citizen, the subjects they learn in school come to life.

This is Globe Scholars.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: Welcome to Globe Scholars.

I’m Tinabeth Piña from TinabethTravels.com and today I’m accompanying fourteen students from Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, New Jersey as we discover Cuba!

[MUSICAL CAR HORN] >>> Franz Lalaine Yabis: I wasn’t expecting anything at all but like, this is really nice.

[BACKGROUND TALKING] >>> Brian Bates: They love us and we love them.

It’s such a welcoming culture.

>>> All: Awesome!

>>> Neidy Gutierrez: I can’t put into words to describe what this experience was.

>>> Jayson Ildefonso: I kind of came in thinking one thing but got something completely different.

>>> Gabriella Robles: And I’m having a good time.

I’m loving all the energy.

>>> All: Cuba!

>>> Tinabeth Piña: The trip started at Newark airport with the students waiting in anticipation!

>>> Jayson Ildefonso: I can't stop moving.

I just want to get on the plane already and I want to get there.

>>> Isaaida Carmona-Belliard: I’m excited because I’ve never been to Cuba.

>>> Patrick Farrell: I’m just ready for a cultural immersion here.

>>> Annalisa Leite: I never thought I’d be going to Cuba.

This is my first international flight so I’m a little nervous but I’m more excited.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: Three hours later Annalisa and the rest of the students from Saint Peter’s landed safely in Havana!

>>> Prof. Ernabel Demillo: What I want them to get out of this trip is, first of all, to experience a new culture, and also to be able to navigate a foreign country especially one that is so different from the United States.

But this is also a global journalism class so I also want them to see just how the people here in Cuba, you know, what kind of news they’re reading, what kind of news they’re seeing on television, and magazines.

[PIANO MUSIC] >>> Tinabeth Piña: At first glance, Havana, Cuba appears to be a city frozen in time, but a look beyond the surface reveals a vibrant metropolis brimming with cultural riches and pride.

One way to understand Cuba is to try and understand its way of life and at CNN’s Havana bureau the students got a first-hand look.

The students were excited as they entered the former Havana Stock Exchange, which is now an office building where news agencies like the BBC, the AP, and CNN's Havana Bureau are located.

Although we didn't get permission to film CNN's presentation inside, the students did learn what life is like for journalists reporting and living in Cuba.

They listened intensely as they also learned what life is like on a daily basis for Cubans since many live on as little as twenty dollars or less per month so a side hustle or two is the norm for many on the island.

Upon leaving CNN's Havana Bureau the students really appreciated and reflected on what they learned from the CNN reporter.

>>> Gabriella Robles: I’m glad that we got a one on one and got to talk to him and ask him direct questions.

I really appreciated that because I have a lot of questions regarding journalism in Cuba specifically so I did enjoy that.

>>> Annalisa Leite: It's interesting when he was like with the internet and he was like we can't send stories out so fast, we have to come back here no matter where we are to send it out it takes a long time, so I thought that was really interesting to see how different it is from being a journalist in the United States.

>>> Patrick Farrell: It's just really interesting to see the perceptions that people have on both ends of each country and how he said just about every Cuban he's met has a love for America despite the history Cuba has had with it.

>>> Neidy Gutierrez: Here Cubans have one news and then the U.S. has one point of view and it's like you never have the full story unless you come here or you go over there and you take both and make your one opinion with it.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: CNN has deep roots in Cuba as we found out when we spoke to Benito Albisa, a history professor at the University of Havana who told us about the impression Cuba made on CNN founder Ted Turner when he visited Cuba over 30 years ago.

>>> Gabriella Robles: I was talking to the performer at the restaurant underneath our casa and he was explaining that he makes all of his money off of the tips that he gets from performing in the restaurant, which is something that is unheard of in America, just living off of tips.

I mean, I think it’s showing me that there are different ways that they are living as compared to the United States, for sure.

>>> Jayson Ildefonso: You hear so many things about a Communist place or a place where there’s so much poverty or you have to watch your back because you don’t really know what to expect.

But it was so different than that.

I just feel like if I would have learned this in a text book I wouldn’t have gotten the same reaction or the same feeling about Cuba that I have now.

>>> Patrick Farrell: I certainly see the society is much more open, much more inviting, much friendlier and it's been really positive to see and, you know, it makes- I'm going to go home hoping that one day in the future that the United States and Cuba will have a much closer and better working relationship.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: Cuba’s strained relationship with the U.S. is rooted in politics and Benito schooled us on how Cuba's independent government system actually works.

[PIANO MUSIC] >>> Tinabeth Piña: Cuba truly is a unique country whose economy relies heavily on tourism and is under the rule of a revolutionary government that isn’t steered by the people but by its self-appointed leaders.

When the Cuban revolution made headlines worldwide nearly 60 years ago, Cuba’s then leader, Fidel Castro, wanted to showcase the evidence of his hard-fought takeover and that was how one of the most important museums in Cuba was born.

The Museum of the Revolution.

[UPBEAT SINGING AND DRUMMING] [UPBEAT SINGING AND DRUMMING] >>> Tinabeth Piña: What they’re about to learn is that the Museum of the Revolution was actually a presidential palace serving as a home to everybody from Menocal to Batistsa.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: The museum focuses on the events leading up to, during, and immediately after the Cuban revolution.

Tiffany's of New York decorated the interior, and in front of the building is a tank used by Castro during the 1961 Bay of Pigs battle.

Behind the museum you'll find all types of vehicles associated with the revolution, including Granma , the yacht that carried Fidel Castro and eighty-one other revolutionaries from Mexico to Cuba in December 1956.

>>> Jayson Ildefonso: I wasn’t expecting to see so many artifacts and they’re all well preserved, just like how artifacts are preserved in the U.S. You can tell that they definitely take pride in it and they really care about showing the revolution from their perspective.

>>> Annalisa Leite: This used to be the presidents house and hearing about what they did with it after.

It’s beautiful in here, this museums beautiful.

So many cool artifacts.

I was reading about the prisoners and the bloodstained clothes and the key to where Fidel Castro was in jail, so it was just really cool to see the things that they have.

>>> Patrick Farrell: It was just really cool to see a lot of history that I was not familiar with.

You know, some of the documents that are preserved from the revolution but it’s also interesting to see how the picture is painted.

How they refer to the previous government as the tyranny.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: Saint Peter’s alum Bill Armbruster who frequently joins students on his alma mater’s study abroad trips added to the experience at the museum when he reminisced about his memories of the Cuban revolution.

>>> Bill Armbruster: I remember the most seminal moments in recent U.S/Cuban relations, so sure I have that experience and was able to talk to the students a bit about the debacles with Cuba influence Kennedy’s decision to step up the number of U.S. advisors that he was sending to Vietnam.

You know, he said, we have to show the Communists that we can’t be pushed around.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: The student's also appreciated Bill's presence on the trip.

>>> Jayson Ildefonso: That overall just elevates the entire experience because you get two perspectives.

You get to hear multiple sides.

And to hear from someone that I sat next to on the plane is even better.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: Immortalizing the past and keeping traditions sacred plays a big role in Cuban culture and the nightly Canonazo ceremony is a custom from colonial times signaling the closing of the city gates.

[SNARE DRUMS] [EXPLOSION AND SCREAMS] >>> Maykel Garcia Vega: Es algo historico, producto de la historia que tiene Cuba, el ensenanza del canonazo a las nueve se da en la escuela de la primaria hasta los universidades- producto de alli nacimos nosotros.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: The ceremony dates back to the 18th century, when the cannon was fired from the Fortress of San Carlos de Cabana signifying the closure of the city gates to protect it against pirate attacks.

Over time the original purpose of the canon was abandoned although the practice continued.

Today the ceremony has become a symbol of Havana, serving as a reminder of an old Cuban tradition.

>>> Patrick Farrell: I’ve been to a number of history reenactments in the United States but I don’t think I’ve seen anything that compares.

It’s just fascinating to see how this brings people together.

>>> Annalisa Leite: It’s something you’ve never really seen before.

And hearing the history of it and how this happens every single night, and it’s this turn out and it’s all these people coming together, I thought it was awesome.

>>> Isaaida Carmona-Belliard: It was amazing.

For me, it brought me back to my Navy days, just watching the ceremony, the protocol that’s going on, I’m getting super excited, I’m looking at the time, I’m watching them going step by step, and then the lighting of the fire, and smelling it, and when finally it goes off - boom!

I mean, I’m still barely, I’m still barely trying to get my hearing back because I didn’t think it was going to be that loud and explosive.

It was amazing.

I loved it.

[CHEERING] >>> Tinabeth Piña: Although baseball is as American as apple pie, it’s also the national sport of Cuba.

>>> Roberto Rodriguez: Bueno, por lo menos aqui en Cuba, es uno de las cosas mas bonitas que tenemos nosotros aqui.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: Baseball is strongly associated with Cuban nationalism, and the 1959 Cuban Revolution ushered in fundamental changes to how Cuban baseball is organized.

The Cuban government replaced the former professional baseball system with new amateur baseball leagues.

It became a sport based on a socialist model driven by national ideals rather than money.

Baseball became a symbol of excellence and was used to encourage nationalism.

Leaders demonstrated their Cuban spirit by engaging in exhibition games reinforcing the notion that baseball would be an integral component of post-revolution Cuba.

We went to a game at the Estadio Latinoamericano between Los Orientales of Cuba and Los Guerreros from Oaxaca, Mexico.

>>> Neidy Gutierrez: I’ve never even been to a baseball game before.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: Really?

>>> Neidy Gutierrez: Yeah.

Who knew my first baseball game would be in Cuba.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: Wow!

>>> Neidy Gutierrez: It’s nice to be here and nice to see the stadium and interact with all the people.

>>> Isaaida Carmona-Belliard: At home, we don’t get to see them play so it’s nice that Cuba has a baseball team.

>>> Gabriella Robles: I’m enjoying it.

I do like baseball.

I’m a very big Yankee fan, so I’m really enjoying seeing the stadium as compared to American stadiums.

>>> Jayson Ildefonso: It’s more intimate which I kind of like because in those big stadiums, you get lost a little bit, you kind of find yourself looking at the jumbotron, not really what’s happening here, and here you don’t have that so you have to look at the players if you want to know what’s going on.

>>> Annalisa Leite: Saw a fight.

It’s just like at a Mets game when the Phillies are playing so it was cool to see because that was my last game.

Same fights happening over the baseball game.

So it’s pretty cool.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: It was also cool how the students even got a wave going throughout the stadium.

>>> Jayson Ildefonso: You know, there was no language barrier there because we were using our bodies, we were using the excitement that we had for the game.

We were using our energy.

So that was cool that we were able to communicate with them all the way across the stadium with just standing up and moving our arms.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: How cool was that to be a part of that?

>>> Isaaida Carmona-Belliard: It’s amazing.

It’s amazing because I didn't think we were going to make that much of an impact.

We're just, you know, communicating with our friends on the other side of the stadium, and we’re just like, “waa!” and “woo!” and then all of the sudden they started doing the same thing on the other side.

[CHEERING AND CLAPPING] [UPBEAT MUSIC] >>> Tinabeth Piña: The culture of Cuba is a complex mixture and is based on European, indigenous, and African influences like you see right here at Callejon de Hamel.

[UPBEAT MUSIC] [UPBEAT MUSIC] >>> Tinabeth Piña: The fusion of cultures is a defining characteristic through most of Cuba’s thriving arts scene.

It’s evident in dance, from the Tropicana to the Buena Vista social club.

And is most visible at Fábrica de Arte Cubano, a former cooking oil factory that has been turned into an art gallery and nightclub rolled into one.

On display is an eclectic mix of art, avant-garde exhibits, and live music performances.

We got a private tour of it from one of the co-owners Inti Herrera.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: While students continued with their private tour of the Fábrica, Inti explained to me how the concept for the place actually works.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: That's the only thing you see.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: How important is art in general for Cuba?

>>> Gabriella Robles: We were walking down the street and I saw a woman just like in her regular clothing sitting down in front of her house and I was like, she looks like art right now.

She's just sitting there living her life and she looks like a piece of art.

>>> Isaaida Carmona-Belliard: A lot of the art that we’ve seen inside is very real, it’s very human.

It’s the art pieces.

It’s not just paintings, something abstract.

To them it's life.

So I did expect to see something beautiful and magical and that’s exactly what this is.

Here, everywhere.

So it’s not just the painting on the wall, it’s just everywhere you look at, to me, I feel that it’s art and it’s beautiful.

[UPBEAT MUSIC] >>> Tinabeth Piña: Besides Havana, Saint Peter’s students had the opportunity to visit Vinales, which is said to have been one of Fidel Castro’s favorite places in Cuba.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: While touring the farm, Benito told me that Fidel didn’t care for any particular brand of cigar, but that he enjoyed the farmers cigars in Vinales.

He also shared the other reason why Vinales was one of Fidel’s favorite cities.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: What is it about the soil here and the fertilizer that makes these cigars and the tobacco so great?

>>> Tinabeth Piña: During our time in Vinales, the famers gave us more information about how the tobacco is cultivated and harvested using traditional agricultural techniques.

Afterwards we learned how cigars are rolled.

>>> Guide: So, in small motions, should be something like this, and this.

This, and this.

Never do it backwards, okay?

>>> Tinabeth Piña: The day wouldn’t have been complete without a ride around the entire plantation on horseback followed by seeing the beauty of Vinales from above when we went ziplining.

Both experiences were a first for many of the students.

>>> Neidy Gutierrez: We’ve been on an adventure every day and this is definitely the most that I’ve done, I feel like in my entire life.

Like, today as itself.

I rode a horse, now I’m going to zipline.

I’m terrified of heights!

>>> Isaaida Carmona-Belliard: Hey!

I’ve never been on a horse ride before.

So today was both exciting and scary at the same time.

But it turned out fine.

I was a natural.

The horse was actually in control of everything.

It was a smooth ride.

I loved it.

I had a great time.

[UPBEAT MUSIC] >>> Tinabeth Piña: Of course no study abroad trip to Cuba would be complete without a visit to the beach.

In this case Varadero Beach.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: Varadero, located on the Hicacos Peninsula, is the leader of Cuba’s most important industry, tourism.

It’s the largest resort area in the Caribbean and was the perfect spot for the students to reminisce about their nine day learning experience.

>>> Annalisa Leite: Going to the Museum of the Revolution.

I thought it was really interesting seeing the signs about, basically like the propaganda about the revolution and the embargo.

It’s just interesting to see the history of Cuba.

>>> Jayson Ildefonso: Seeing the Fábrica, that we saw.

Seeing the artwork mixed with nightlife.

It just brings people together and it shows the importance of art in Cuba.

>>> Neidy Gutierrez: My favorite was Vinales because obviously I got to face my fears and I love the countryside so we got to have a day there, explore with the horses, zipline.

So that was my favorite.

And my second favorite was Tropicana because at the end we got to go up and dance for like, half an hour, all of us together, and low-key I felt like I was part of the show.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: Clearly each student gravitated towards something different but they all loved the experience equally.

>>> Cuba!!!

>>> Gabriella Robles: I bonded with a lot of people I wouldn’t have expected to and I think learned a lot more than I expected to as well.

>>> Jayson Ildefonso: If I would have learned this in a textbook I wouldn't have gotten the same reaction or the same feeling about Cuba that I have now.

>>> Neidy Gutierrez: Because this is honestly amazing.

It makes me think about how my problems at home are not that big compared to everything else.

>>> Patrick Farrell: If you go on vacation later in life I don't think it would be quite the same thing because there still is that educational aspect that we get because we, we have our professors here and then of course we met up with Bonito and just a number of people and I don't think that experience would have been as rich had we not have been with people from our class.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: Nine days isn’t enough time to see all of Cuba and fully understand its people but this study abroad trip has brought all the students from Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, New Jersey one step closer to becoming global citizens.

Thanks for watching Globe Scholars and I can’t wait to find out where we’re going next!

Adios amigos!!

[UPBEAT DANCE MUSIC] >>> Annalisa Leite: I was so nervous.

I was literally asked fifty people, listen, I’m thinking about going to Cuba.

Do you think I should go?

And they’re like go.

You need to have the experience.

And I would tell them the same thing.

Don’t worry.

Don’t get stressed out about it.

You need to go.

You need to try it.

It’s going to be amazing.

You’ll meet so many people and you’re going to regret it if you don’t go because it’s a once in a lifetime experience.

>>> Jayson Ildefonso: I would definitely suggest it.

I mean, you won’t know if you like it or not until you go.

So if you go and you realize, oh, it’s not for me, then at least you tried it but who knows.

Maybe you’ll find a love for traveling or find a love for the country you’re visiting or find a passion for the food that you’re eating or maybe you’ll meet someone that you’ll be friends with forever, so I just feel like, take the chance, go for it, and see what happens.

>>> Tinabeth Piña: For more information about studying abroad in Cuba, or any part of the world, check out GlobeSholarsTV.com for useful information, web only education abroad videos, scholarship information, travel reviews, and helpful travel minute videos specifically about Cuba.

Make sure you check it out.