On March 9, Gary and I arrived in Havana and our world changed as we left the airport. Immediately we noticed that the billboards were free of any branded product advertisements and featured targeted messages lauding the “triumph of the revolution” and degrading capitalism. Many of the cars are old—1950s vintage Chevys, Fords and Oldsmobiles—and somewhat newer Ladas, Peugeots, Toyotas, Kias. Gary reserved our hotel stay at the beautiful Hotel Nationale, built in 1930, through an Italian source. We could not use any credit cards and even US currency was difficult to exchange. Bahamian currency is not exchangeable at all. As we taxied to the hotel in a shared ride, we noted the crumbling vintage buildings, all constructed prior to the current regime. Once single family Doric columned casas now house 6-10 families. Laundry hangs from windows where it is hard to believe people actually live. We were fortunate to have a “cousin in Havana,” a contact from the Bahamas who shepherded us. We not only were able to see the “tourist sites”, such as the museum to the “triumph of the revolution” where caricatures of Reagan and the two Bushes demean our country’s government, but also a couple of apartments where Cuban families live in spaces far smaller than one side of our Catamaran. Throughout our time in this amazing place, cab drivers, waiters and even government employees who work in cigar factories (who make salaries equal to doctors and lawyers—the equivalent of $30/month) took us aside and said, “this system is broken. We all dream of going to the US.” In general, the Cuban people are so restricted—they can’t travel out of the country, they have no ability to enhance their positions by working hard, they have such a limited future. Havana is a beautiful city on the water with waves crashing over the boulevard that outlines the shore. The food, the music and the people are extraordinary. But, we were so happy to get back to our world. And in the broader spectrum, we think about how fortunate we are to have the choices and advantages we have through our chance of being born as citizens of the US.