December 1, 2002 - Page 3

We were also given the opportunity to learn about the Cuban education system. Legally, students are required to complete 12 years of school; then they are given the option of attending college. According to our student guides, Fidel and Boris, getting into the university is a bit more difficult now than it was during the sixties and seventies because the government realized that the university students weren’t getting as good an education as they might, and they were running out of jobs to give to university students. Currently, when students graduate, they are guaranteed a job for at least two years. At the end of those two years, you can see if there are other jobs that you might want to do, but if there

are no openings, you’re stuck with the one the government gave you until you get lucky enough to be assigned to another job. Fidel and Boris mentioned that all education is free, from kindergarten all the way to Ph.D degrees. The Cubans most certainly have the right idea.

Our stay in Cuba was exciting. We were able to see Fidel Castro speak at the opening ceremony for the Cuban games; we went to a baseball game and watched the antics of either a crazy or a drunk fan (we were never sure which was the case); we got to experience the black market. Cuba was amazing. I just have one question: Why does the United States continue to keep the embargo against Cuba?