Americans, who have had little contact with Cuba during the last four decades, tend to view it as a poor, harsh country of crumbling buildings and old cars. But Lexia students will have the opportunity to go beyond media stereotypes and learn firsthand about a culture with very different priorities and struggles.

Fidel Castro's four decades of leadership and struggle with the world's superpowers has created a unique landscape of sacrifice as well as extraordinary achievement. There is certainly poverty, with agricultural production unable to keep up with demand, and much of the urban infrastructure is old and run-down. But at the same time, Havana has one of the highest literacy rates in world, a sophisticated system of free medical care, and an influential arts culture of film festivals and street music.

Only 90 miles from U.S. shore, Cuba offers an entirely different world from which students can learn much about politics, values, and urban development.