By Anna Radoff, Public Health in Cuba, Summer 2013
Nine months later and I still find myself missing Cuba. Morning walks in search of guava pastries, the view from our roof of Havana, tripping over my feet during salsa class; all moments I wish I could return to. It is difficult to quantify what Cuba has taught me as a person, student, and beyond graduation, but the more removed I become the more I discover.
As a senior, I am forced to reconcile what I have learned in the classroom and how I will apply it to what I want to do as a career. This question would be much easier if I knew what I wanted to do, however, global health and my study abroad experience has helped me to narrow down my interests. I know that I do not want to study medicine, but I want to remain involved in global health. Because of Cuba I have learned to look at my skills not as a path towards a career, but an evaluation of what I am capable of doing and where I can make a difference. Cuba taught me that while things do not always go as planned, it is important to roll with the situation and create a backup plan. I know I am organized and responsible, but able to think on the fly and remain calm while creating a solution.
No matter where I end up or what I study, Cuba will always be a reminder that the world is much bigger than me. I was given the incredible opportunity, to visit a place that not many Americans have the chance to see. Studying abroad in Havana is so much more than seeing past the American bias, it is understanding a different way of life. Cuban culture is rich and filled with music and dance, while the country is still hindered by economic disparities, people still believe that they should care for one another. Yes, they see some revolutionary policies as outdated, but the value of supporting those less fortunate than themselves still holds true; a value that I now appreciate more.
From time to time I still write to Ana and Yadir, in my broken but improving Spanish. They tell me that things are going well and her research is coming along, now it is just a matter of finding funding. I send gifts with people who travel down and keep my fingers crossed that it works out. Of all the people we met in Cuba, Ana and Yadir remain the kindest, most genuine friends. 
Their friendship went so far beyond our dance lessons and adventures in the countryside, hearing their stories as we drove to the beach taught us how young Cubans mediated their relation to government and how they approached modern socialism.
Finally, I miss watching the sunset on the Malecón. It may sound trivial, but the daily routine of taking a moment and watching the colors dance across the water was one of the highlights of my trip. There was a moment were the horizon was visible and just where the light began it ended. The sunset was a quiet moment of reflection on what we had done that day and a moment before the night.
I have learned to appreciate the sunset wherever I am. I love that moment just before the sun fades and the night picks up; all at once a beginning and ending.
