In March of 2004, I had the opportunity to take a special flight from Miami to Cuba. This was possible because educational trips were still allowed to fly directly to the island, even though commercial flights had been banned for many years.
However, the situation changed when President George Bush passed a new law that restricted even educational exchanges between the United States and Cuba. This meant that it was no longer possible for people to take direct flights to the island for educational purposes.
I was lucky to have gone on this trip before the new law was passed, along with some of my classmates from Columbia Business School. This law made it difficult for people to travel to Cuba, but it was not impossible. Many people still travel to Cuba by going through other countries like Jamaica.
In my opinion, these laws are not effective and do not help to promote change in Cuba. Instead, I believe that promoting the exchange of ideas and information through direct travel is a better way to bring about change. I believe that words and ideas are more powerful than weapons.
Cuba is a unique and interesting place, and I enjoyed my visit there. I took some videos of my trip, including footage of old men in the mountains of central Cuba and a concert by Ibrahim Ferrer. I also recorded some lectures given by Cuban officials, which were both informative and thought-provoking.
