Horizons Student Support Services Study Abroad - Havana, Cuba: Cat Lee

Today we went to the Antonio Guiteras Polyclinic. We received a lecture from a doctor who is working to get his master’s degree in endocrinology and has an administration position at the clinic. He gave us a lot of information on the healthcare system. The polyclinic has 8422 patients under its care. The clinics are an integral part to the healthcare of Cuba. The group’s questions ranged in topics from the education of the doctors, mental illness, and the positives and negatives of the healthcare system. One question highlighted the fact that the citizens receive care for free and medications from a pharmacy are received at an affordable cost.

After lecture, we were given a tour of the facility. The bottom floor is used for emergency care, x-rays, and other trauma related care. The first floor is more general care as in geriatrics, vaccinations, and ultrasounds. Upper levels get more into schooling of medical students, administration, and specific departments like optometry. The building was very different from a clinic or hospital you would see in the US. Unlike the pale clean colors you might expect in the United States, we saw brightly colored walls with chipped paint and elaborate decoration around doors and stairwells all following in suit of the uniqueness in structures we have seen all over Havana.

During discussion, we talked about how we were feeling being half way through this study abroad program. Throughout our experiences, we’ve all been pushing ourselves and gaining a lot of personal growth. We all expressed gratitude and happiness to be having such an incredible experience. At the same time, we had an intense discussion that allowed the group to continue to bond and share that such personal experiences can also elicit strong emotions that can be difficult to understand and process. Such an open group makes this experience what it is and is what allows each of us to push ourselves so hard to learn about global leadership and what it means to appreciate the importance of cultural diversity.

Following our discussion, the group split off to get lunch and find something to do for the afternoon. Jess, Sydney, and I initially tried to eat at a Mandarin restaurant, but encountered some difficulty in understanding what our waiter was telling us about how we needed to order. Despite our efforts, we felt that we weren’t going to be able to figure it out and decided to eat somewhere else. We found ourselves at ‘Restaurante el Polinesio’ which was across the street. In the third photo, you can see Jess and Sydney smiling as we discuss what to order. I ordered Polynesian barbecue chicken. After a walk, a nap, and dinner most of my house chilled out talking and writing our journals.