http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wual/local-wual-946977.mp3
Havana, Cuba – Best Commentator or Editorialist
"Postcards from Cuba"
Pat Duggins Producer and Editor
Aired during April, 2010
Alabama is the only State in the nation with a trade deal with Cuba, approved by the U.S. State Department. As a result, the University of Alabama is the only institute of higher education in America which can send students to study abroad in Havana. Other schools routinely send researchers, but U of A is unique in sending both educators and students.
Alabama Public Radio worked in conjunction with the University's Department of Latin American Studies to train and equip a group of students, so they could write and record a series of radio commentaries on their experiences while visiting the communist island nation. APR sent a courier to carry the audio back to Alabama, so it could be used in a series of commentaries called "Postcards from Cuba."
In part one, student Mary Heard talks about her preparations for the trip to Cuba, her apprehension about visiting the communist nation, and how that mindset changed after a few weeks in Havana.
In part two, student Zeke Anders talks about the surprising reaction he received from Cubans on the street, once they learned he and his classmates were from the United States.
In part three, student Elaina Tirador concludes our series by relating the story of finding lost relatives in Cuba. She's Cuba-American, her father is from Cuba, and after days of searching, she tracked down cousins on the island and how they bonded during her semester in Havana.