My Jakera Experience

My Jakera Experience

I stepped out of the cab and stared at the non-descript red door in front of me, the fatigue from my early morning flight making me unsure of my next move. The driver seemed to know what to do, grabbing my heavy bag from the trunk and ringing the white doorbell on the side of the door that I had somehow failed to notice. The door swung open and I was greeted by a looming staircase. A man came running down the stairs and, after exchanging some words in Spanish with my driver, smiled and me and began hauling my suitcase up the stairs. When we reached the stairs I thought I had walked into a mad house. There were at least ten people milling around, all talking at once. I was able to ascertain pretty quickly that these were not Cubans so they must be other clients. I stood frozen, unsure of what to do; it was pretty clear that they were in the middle of something. Suddenly someone appeared at my shoulder to help me to my room. I soon found out that this was one of the managers of program, Leandro. He showed me the room and gave a tour of the hostel. From the outside you could never tell that the building was so large and full of life.

When we were done the tour the other clients had cleared out and it was quiet again. Leandro explained that these specific clients were part of the Learn Spanish and Volunteer program and had, just now, headed out to start the volunteer portion at Playa Giron. Later that day I had a welcome tour to show me around Habana Vieja and there I made my first hostel friend, another client named Katie.

We spent the weekend exploring Havana and trying not to act like total tourists while still taking tourist pictures with a beer in our hand at 10:30 in the morning. That Monday our Spanish lessons began. It took a bit of trial and error to put me in the right level class because my comprehension was much better than my speech. (They have since made an amazing test that helps with the level process). I don’t pick up languages as easily as I would like but through attending every class, hung-over or not, I was able to increase my skills tenfold. My teachers, Duamel and Darbel, were patient and kind and some of the most skilled teachers I’ve ever met. You can tell that they genuinely care about students learning the language.

Classes ran until noon and were followed by lunch, a very social event. Cubans and clients alike mixed to eat and talk about everything and anything. Meals were always a time of laughter in the casa. Monday, Wednesday and Friday we had culture tours lead by one of the teachers that let us explore and learn about the history of the country that we were lucky enough to be visiting. My favorite tour had to be the Revolution Museum. I tend to be a history buff and it was a great learning experience for me.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays we had dance classes. I’m not going to lie, I was not a big fan of these lessons. The lessons themselves and the teachers were great. They were funny and I thought everybody else danced beautifully. Catch that? Everybody else. I’m not going to front here at all. I can’t dance. At all. I have two left feet and one right foot. I’m tripping all over the place. But it was still a fun thing to experience.

Many nights myself and the other clients went out and experienced Cuba’s nightlife. Often times the owner and one of the amazing staff, Rachel (now some of my closest friends) would come out with us to make sure that we were having a great time. We went to many different clubs and sometimes just had spontaneous parties on the roof. The mood was always light and festive.

Needless to say, my Jakera experience was one of the most fun, liberating and rewarding experiences of my life. I strongly encourage all you future Cubadians to take the leap and visit Jakera. It is beyond worth it.

Besos,

Leah