This is part eight of a series for my Storyboard on Flipboard. In 2018 I visited Havana, Cuba for photography and journalism. I stayed with a family that hosted their home as an Airbnb in Old Havana, Cuba aka Havana Vieja. I created a series of journals to document the journey and just in case the Cuban government decided to check what I came up with at the airport.

2.24.2018 (Cuba) Today is my last day in Havana. It has been an amazing trip and now I’m ready to get back to reality. I’m looking forward to buying a new journal for all my photos and I think I’ll transcribe and transfer my entires too. I want everything to be tangible. My cab has been ordered so now I wait. My hostess ordered the cab for me (since she is fluent in Spanish and I’m clearly not) and my driver from before (Daniel) came through. I said my goodbyes and I was off. I felt like I could understand him a bit better with all of the Spanish I had taken in. 

We laughed and joked as he drove me to my terminal. Along the way he pointed out some famous spots in Havana and we pulled over to take some photos. I was early so we had time. He dropped me off and I tipped him 5 CUC. I spent a little more than I thought between treating locals so I figured I would just spend all of my Cuban currency. 

I planned to have 100 CUC to convert to Euros but I’ll probably just use my tax return to cover my future massive phone bill. I was basically roaming the whole time because service is not great over here. As I board the plane back for New York I look through my phone at the nearly 600 photos I took. What an adventure.

As I reflect back on these journals I think how much this trip has changed me. The experiences, the people and just being so far from home. I’m looking forward to the next time I get to visit Cuba and reconnect with all the friends I made there.