CCSU students heading to Cuba lose access to Havana because of Obama visit
To leave behind the gray Central Connecticut state campus and spend Spring Break in Cuba has been the plan for the last year for nineteen journalism students.
But President Obama lands in Cuba Sunday, and now the students have learned they can't go where they want to go: Havana.
"To be like out, kicked out, two hours away - Varadero's where we're going - two hours away from them, to not get the direct impact of what the people have to say of the president of the United States going to their town, it's disappointing," said Kimberly Pena, a sophomore.
Not only have the students been told there aren't enough rooms for them in Havana, they've been told there's not enough transportation for them to get to Havana.
Analisa Novak, a CCSU junior, said, "I'm pretty, pretty bummed out about not being able to go to Havana. It was actually the main reason why I wanted to go on this trip, why I applied for so many scholarships, and worked really hard to pay for this experience. And to not be able to go to Havana is actually a pretty big blow."
They're spending $3,000 for the week, expecting to interview Cubans on their turf, not resort staff on their sand.
"You want to be where everything's happening," said Pena. "The president's going to be there. We would like to get their input about what they feel about Americans coming to their city and we're missing out on their side."
Novak said she hopes the US government can help them find what they need in Cuba. "We're doing a Twitter campaign right now, help CCSU get into Cuba and nobody is really helping us. It's kind of sad," she said.
