Immerse Yourself in Cuban Life 

While many study abroad programs house students in dormitories and hotels, students who travel to Cuba with AUSM stay with homestay families in a historic Black working class Barrio called Marianao, about 20 minutes from the city center of Havana. As an organization, our relationships with our homestay families have been cultivated over many years through solidarity work with organizations and individuals in the neighborhood. Unlike AirBnb or other commercial lodging options, our homestay families participate in our program with the goal of building solidarity with western students and immersing them in the day-to-day realities of Cuban life in a regular working class neighborhood. 

For the duration of their stay, AUSM’s host families care for study abroad students as though they are a part of the family. Homestay families cook meals for students, accommodate a wide spectrum of dietary needs, wash students’ laundry, show them around the neighborhood, engage in conversations about Cuban culture, society, politics, and history, celebrate their birthdays, help them learn Spanish, introduce them to Cuban telenovelas, play chess or dominos with them, care for them when they are sick, and more. Each homestay family offers a completely unique and distinct experience, whether they are a large family or a small family, have children or pets, or a variety of other factors. What they all have in common is a shared orientation toward making students feel welcome, cared for, and supported during their stay in the program!