A visit to a classroom in Havana: meet some students at the Faculty of Foreign Languages

The students ask thoughtful questions

This post is about students and their questions.  The videos were collected in April 2013 and the students here want to connect with young people around the world.
You can leave messages and questions here for students who are studying English at the University of Havana's FLEX (Faculty of Lenguas Extranjeras).

YOUTUBE:  A story about blackbirds

These students have enthusiasm for learning.  They want to share their views.   They have stories to tell.

Here's what a student wrote about the challenges of working with limited resources:

First of all I want to thank you for the documents you have been sending to all of us. I am really sorry I could  not write sooner because I got caught up with school and whenever I am not doing homework, I am working or resting at the dorms. It was good that you came to Cuba because we have very few native speakers in our classroom and this was a great opportunity for us and I bet you also had a good time here. Well, I will check for the package of CDs that you have sent. Thanks for everything and we will be in touch. Cheers!!!

The students have a limited amount of time to spend on the Internet (to search for documents for their research).  Let's say that a student gets 2 megabytes per day.  That amount can be used just by visiting a YouTube channel in thirty seconds or during a web search that has downloaded several dozen photos.  Two articles in PDF form might be 865 KB, so that's almost the day's limit of downloads.

If you have some time available, you can do the search, download the items, then burn the items onto a CD. Then you can mail the CD to the University's address.  Or you can add your CD to other CDs or DVDs.  Or  you can email YoungInHavana@gmail.com with the links to the PDFs and I'll download the items and put them in a folder with the name of the requesting student.   Then that DVD will make its way onto a flight of packages ($10 a pound, leaving every Friday early morning from Fort Lauderdale's Davie Blvd. one mile west of I-95).
2617 Davie Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 » Map (954) 791-4878



Can I walk to the Malecón and jump into the ocean?  (no...)

The consensus is that it is better to go to the beaches.

The students were practicing the art of asking questions.   Here are some examples of questions:
What is your opinion about same-sex marriages?

This video features Roy, who asks the first question.  He is a dynamic person who came to the workshop that a visitor was giving ... and he participated in some of the creation of videos.
This video features a mention of DanPink.com and a request for "tips about how to remember things."

Here are four guidelines if you have the opportunity to visit a school.
a) talk as little as possible
b) ask the students to ask questions
c) ask them questions, too.

Roy wants to connect ... 

d) reinforce by writing your answers (but leave out s__me of the v__wels so that they ne_d to gu__ss the words and part__c__pate in the reading of the w__rds).

His name is Dani

He asked about "the Cuban Five"

Here is a dynamic teacher (but I think he should feed these questions to his students to ask the visitor)

He's reading a Dan Pink book ("Drive") in Spanish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOZF_LXt_DU

<<< this is one of Professor Dani's animated students.  you can write to Dani the Professor at DaniBoy@flex.uh.cu 
Here are some notes from my notebook about my interactions with students and professors ... 

SAN GERONIMO University IS training these people (artisans)
with university degrees

At 4:30 a professor took me up the hill to the main campus of the University and he continued inside to the comptuer department.  He directed me to keep going straight and I

Brazil street lines up with the Capitólio

Video

walked down the hill and made it back to the FLEX building in time to spend time with some students... it was raining and they were trapped so we talked and I gave them the lecture about the differences between the hunter's brain and the gatherer's brain.  They asked me to visit their classrooms the next day. They wondered if more visitors could come to their classes.  (Anyone reading this blog is someone who is qualified to speak to these eager students.)

Get to know Havana at this video

I used one of students' phones to call my friend ("I'm a bit late") and I finally got to dinner around 7 pm.  We hatched plans for how the final day would go...  Bed by 9 pm.

11 April Thursday

How to negotiate with a cab:  Don't ask what the price is.   Make an offer.   Ask, "Can you take me to Capitólio in Havana Vieja for 2 CUCs?"

From the Great Museums TV video
56 minutes long

I walked to a meeting at San Geronimo University in Old Havana.  I asked about the possibility of volunteers who might come to the evening classes to help with the pronunciation practice.  The suggestion is welcomed but the procedure will take time to be confirmed.  "Why don't you first send a letter?"

This band plays at the restaurant on the old square

The meeting and tour ended at 12 noon and I slowly walked up Brazil street, avoiding Obispo's tourist traffic.  I stopped along the way to catch a view of the Brazil street and a fellow smiled and waved, "Hello, YouTube."  I approached him, thanked him for his pleasant greeting and he revealed that he is a musician.  He plans to play in Miami in November.  I give him my card and hope that he will call me.  

See the Video

It's now 12:15 and I'm only up to the Capitol.  I have a 50-minute job ahead, so it's time to get moving.  I head up Salvador Allende Blvd to Ayestaran, then walk past the university's side street, stop at a house to order two tostadas (hamburger buns with eggs and onion inside) and I run back to my apartment.  I arrived at my apartment at 12:45 .... Shower and new shirt, I pick up Dr. Clark's poster (the four pages found in the workbook) and I'm out the door.  I'm back at the sandwich place by 1 pm and in the classroom with a roll of two-inch clear tape, papering the wall.

This frame comes from a Great Museums TV channel

Then I headed to classroom 508 where first-year student Dani was in a class with a Professor Dani.  Prof Dani showed me his program that he created using Hot Potato, a stand-alone software that allows users to carry the program on a USB stick and run it from any computer on a Windows operating system.  

Afternoon at the Batido Stand:  After the lecture, I walked with students to the entrance of the building.  "Show me where you get lunch."  They took me across the street and I asked for a batido with Guayabana and Mango (mixing a batido is not usual).   Roy, one of the students, negotiated for me.  Cost:  15 pesos.

YoungInHavana@gmail.com

This blog is for young people in Havana to share information about their city

There are many reasons for students to write:  (a) to express ideas, (b) to share information, (c) to request information, and (d) other reasons.

This blog was maintained in 2013 by a teacher.  The goal was to give tourists information that only young people in Havana will know.  Writings by students are given to professors who then pass the materials to the webmaster.  The webmaster posts the items and the students get credit (if they want their words to be seen around the world).

Any income from this activity will be returned to the students through improved technology at the university.  The goal is to deliver an excellent blog of information about "what do young people do in Havana after school and after work?"  The writings here are by students who can give an excellent tour of this amazing city.

There is even a Youtube channel called "Young In Havana" or Joven Havana.  YoungInHavana@gmail.com (send your questions)

Here's one of the videos that is posted.