A view into another life

Applause erupts all around me. Shouts in Spanish ring out from every direction. Music blares from speakers as I ride my bike through the parade of Cuban students who have gathered for us today. Everywhere I look, I see smiles.

Over the next two days, I will be spending a lot of time at the Frederico Engels School. But let me start at the beginning. The campus is massive – it must have been quite impressive once. Now, only about a third of it is usable and even that shows its age, with its blue-and-white concrete walls looking worn. There is a large open-air theater in one of the courtyards. On one side, the dormitories for the boarding students are located – some of the students live here at the school. On the other side, there are the small classrooms and the cafeteria.
The atmosphere at the Frederico Engels School in Pinar del Rio is usually laid-back. Even though everyone wears the mandatory blue school uniform, each student has its own unique personality.
I quickly stroke up conversations with students my age. We laughed at the same jokes, taught each other Spanish and German words and even talked about serious topics, like the shortages that have been common in Cuba for a while now.

The first day, the students were with us all day, giving us a short view into their lives. They shared their lunch with us in the cafeteria – rice and beans, coleslaw, small pieces of meat and jam. Proudly, they showed us their school´s history and the long past of Cuba.
In the afternoon, I sat in a 10th grade physics lesson with a few other KUS students. Let me tell you, it is nothing like Germany! The biggest difference is the number of the teachers in the room. There is always a teacher, an assistant as well as two senior students who help. The teaching style is different, too – no monotonous lectures. Instead, it is an open discussion between the professor and the students, often sparked by experiments.
That physics lesson closed learning for the day, but if you think we were heading back to the hotel for a quiet evening, think again! Cuban culture is all about one thing: dancing.

So, of course an evening dance party is a must. Cuban songs are incredibly fast and Cubans are incredibly agile – everyone here can dance and there is a step for every song. However, we KUS students are quick learners, too. Soon, the evening turned into a wild mix of laughter, dancing, stumbling and singing. Yet it was not just the Cubans introducing us to their culture – we showed them a few of our dance moves, too and brought the house down with the first German song. As the night went on, the atmosphere got even more relaxed. After a final round of waltzes, the disappointment was palpable – we already had to leave.

The next morning, we attended an eye-opening discussion about the U.S. embargo. The perspectives of the teachers and students were fascinating and painted a clear picture of the challenges Cuba has been facing. It is a tough topic, but an important one and we had a lot of questions.
After lunch, things got more interactive. We had music class. An elderly woman encouraged us to sing a Cuban song. Everyone joined in. Suddenly, I was holding rhythm sticks, tapping out a beat. We all got to try different instruments and the Cubans showed off their skills. The lesson ended far too soon with everyone singing “Riptide“ (yes, the Cubans knew the song!).
The students really went all out for us. After this highlight the next one followed: PE class. We played soccer, basketball and volleyball. Yet also games like chess, checkers and the national game of dominoes are part of the curriculum. And before we knew it, it was already time to say goodbye for the first time to go on a trip to the Viñales Valley before cycling back to the school.

Three days and countless experiences later, we were back in front of the school. All of us were in blue KUS shirts, ready for the official farewell gala. There, we danced, sang, lanced, and danced even more. Both the Cubans and we gave it our best. Yet all good things must come to an end. After handing over our bikes and donations, we had to say our final goodbyes. It was heartbreaking to leave our new friends behind. We exchanged numbers, took commemorative photos and handed out gifts. And just like that, our wonderful, enriching time at the Frederico Engels School came to an end.