THE CUBA SCHOLARSHIP

2018

STUDENT INFORMATION PACK

CONTACTS –APPLYING – FLIGHTS – ACCOMODATION – TRAVELLING AROUND CUBA – VISAS – INSURANCE –TRAVEL SCHEDULEEXCURSIONS –HEALTH – MONEY AND CURRENCY

CONTACTS

To enquire about applying/interviews:

Scholarships: 01227 823233

For general enquiries:

Development Office: Laura Kimpton –

CONTENTS OF THE INFORMATION PACK

  1. The Cuba Scholarship
  1. Applying
  1. Flights
  1. Accommodation
  1. Travelling around Cuba
  1. Visas
  1. Insurance
  1. Health
  1. Travel Schedule
  1. Excursions
  1. Money and Currency
  1. After the trip
  1. THE CUBA SCHOLARSHIP

This award has been running since 2014 and takes place during the Easter vacation. The Development Office at the University of Kent works very closely with a donor whohas a strong affiliation with Cuba and is keen to offer a trip to Cuba for postgraduate students who feel that their studies and academic career would be enriched from this experience. The trip spans across three weeks in Spring and students are able to explore the bustling and vibrant city of Havana, in addition to spending some time discovering the nearby village of Viñales. As a result of this, the aptitude to speak Spanish would be valuable.

The trip will take place from 12 April – 03 May 2018, depending on flight availability.

This is a wonderful opportunity to benefit a multitude of subject areas, so postgraduate students from across the University are invited to apply. Individuals who choose to apply for the Cuba Scholarship must be able to attend an interview panel, likely to take place w/c 27 November 2017.

A pre-departure briefing will ensue nearer the time with students who were awarded the Cuba Scholarship in previous years, so awardees will have the opportunity to question others about their time in Cuba, sharing information and questions which will better prepare them for the trip.

Further in this pack is a draft travel schedule and a list of excursions from previous years - students are expected to contribute to their itineraries and finalise them in advance of their departure.

  1. APPLYING

To apply for the Cuba Scholarship, please submit a CV and covering letter addressing why a trip to Cuba would enhance your academic career and professional aspiration. Email these along with your full name and student ID number to: .

The deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 12 November 2017.

Applicants who have been shortlisted for the award will receive a notification via email to their student account, e.g. , which will confirm the student’s place at the interview panel. Interviews will take the format of a question and answer session with University staff and the donor who will be accompanying the students to Cuba.

These interviews are not formal in nature and questions will be asked to demonstrate the applicants’ character and incentives to go to Cuba. If you have any questions regarding the interview, please contact the Scholarships Office on 01227 823233

  1. FLIGHTS

All students who apply for the Cuba Scholarship should hold a valid passport; if the passport has expired, please be aware that it may take some time to renew and may not be ready for the trip.

When all awardees have been confirmed, students will be asked for further details in order to book the flights for Cuba, the costs of which are covered by the award and will be booked by the University.Students will be notified via email when the flights have been booked and this email will cover all details relating to departure for Cuba.

Before departure, students need to make sure that they have registered and organised a Tourist Card from the Consulate, details of which can be found here:

  1. ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation for the stay in Havana will be reserved by the Development Office based on recommendations by the previous awardees.The accommodation in Havana are termed locally as casas de patriculares; these facilities equate to Bed and Breakfast amenities and payment is covered by the award.

During the time in Viñales, students will stay with the donor at his residence in the village, accompanying the group back to Havana at the end of the vacation.

  1. TRAVELLING AROUND CUBA

In order to travel between Havana and Viñales, a minibus will be used as the mode of transport for the group and their luggage.The distance between Havana and Viñales is approximately 185kilometres which should take a few hours to travel. Whilst residing in both locations in Cuba, students have access to local transport but please be aware that the frequency and availability of this public transport may differ. It is advisable to use taxis, almendrones (1950s cars which operate similarly to buses on a fixed route) and coco taxis (motorbikes with small carriages) to travel as a tourist rather than taking the bus. Taxis are government owned and are used primarily by tourists; the rates for these are also much more reasonable than in other cities such as London. The average rate is approximately 50 cents per kilometre (1 CUC = 0.73 GBP).

The award also contributes subsistence money towards the trip which can be accessed from the banks whilst in Cuba. However, applicants must be aware that any excess expenditure will have to come from their own personal funds.

  1. VISAS

Students must be aware of their own visa requirements when applying for the trip to Cuba, and the University holds no responsibility for organising any aspect of a visa application. Information regarding visa requirements can be found here:

Advice for entering Cuba is here:

It is strongly recommended that applicants read these web pages carefully to preparation for the trip.

Visitors to Cuba are also required to organise a Tourist Card which is mandatory for those entering the country. Once applicants have been confirmed, students will receive more information regarding how to organise this card. More details of this can be found here:

If you require any more information regarding visas, please contact the Visa Compliance Team: .

  1. INSURANCE

Students who are awarded the Cuba Scholarship mustsign up to be added to the University of Kent’s own travel insurance, details of which can be found here:

It is advisable for students to also purchase their own personal insurance to cover their belongings on the trip.

  1. HEALTH

It is the student’s responsibility to evaluate their own personal health when deciding on whether to apply for the Cuba Scholarship. This self-assessment must also be formally declared to the University via the following “Full Health Assessment” form, which must be submitted to the Development Office at least one week before departure:

Health information from the University can be found here:

Students will also be required to submit a “Travel Abroad Notification”and a“Risk Awareness Abroad” form to the Development Office at least one week before departure:

It is strongly recommended that students who choose to apply for the Scholarship book an appointment to see their doctor who can advise about any immunisation jabs that are required for travelling to Cuba – each applicant is responsible for their own health expenses in preparation for the trip.

For general health information, please visit:

In the Caribbean, when the sun is at its highest point (between 1pm and 3pm), the intense heat can be harmful for those not acclimatised to the local temperatures. Therefore, we advise that students cater their excursions and other trips to coincide with the cooler times of day (morning and evening).

  1. DRAFT TRAVEL SCHEDULE

DAY / DATE / LOCATION
1 / 12 April / Depart England – arrive in Havana, Cuba
2 / 13 April / Free day
3 / 14 April / Travel to Viñales
4 / 15 April / Day in Viñales
5 / 16 April / Day in Viñales
6 / 17 April / Day in Viñales
7 / 18 April / Travel back to Havana
8 / 19 April / Excursion day
9 / 20 April / Excursion day
10 / 21 April / Excursion day
11 / 22 April / Excursion day
12 / 23 April / Excursion day
13 / 24 April / Excursion day
14 / 25 April / Excursion day
15 / 26 April / Excursion day
16 / 27 April / Excursion day
17 / 28 April / Excursion day
18 / 29 April / Excursion day
19 / 30 April / Excursion day
20 / 1 May / Labour Day Parade in Havana
21 / 2 May / Excursion day
22 / 3 May / Depart Havana, arrive back in England
  1. EXCURSIONS

There are many different methods and manners of exploring Havana and Viñales, and students are invited to tailor their itineraries to maximise their time in Cuba. Trips and excursions whilst in Cuba can be funded by the subsistence money allocated to each student. Please remember that this subsistence money is limited, and any other funds should be provided by the student.

Excursions in Havana from previous years have comprised of visits to:

-Modern Havana Tour: La Rampa – Hotel Nacional – Hotel Habana Libre – Cine Yara – Pabellón Cuba – Malecón

-Casa de las Américas

-National Museum of Fine Arts

-Bodeguita del Medio(Ernest Hemingway’s old haunt)

-Wilfredo Lam Centre of Contemporary Art

-Tour of Old Havana Historical Centre “Historical Route”: Capitol – Paseo del Prado – San Salvador Castle – Plaza de Armas – Saint Francisco de Asis Convent – Cathedral and Cathedral Square – Obispo Street – Capitol

-La Havana Grand Theatre

-Labour Day Parade (1 May)

-Revolution Square

Viñales has typically been used in previous years as a relaxing few days to help adjust to the Cuban climate and recover from jet lag. Due to this, and to the shorter time being spent in the village compared to the city of Havana, the only suggested excursion is a Viñales Open-Top Bus Tour, however students are invited to take part in additional excursions if they wish to.

A chance to speak to previous awardees of the Cuba Scholarship will be available before departure, so students may get advice and recommendations of what to do and where to visit.

The donor will also be present in Viñales and will be able to advise the students about the local area.

  1. MONEY AND CURRENCY

In Cuba, the local currency is Cuban Convertible pesos (CUC) and Cuban peso (CUP) which is also deemed locally as moneda nacionale (M.D). Please avoid using American Dollars ($) at all costs otherwise a 10% commission charge will apply; however Pounds Sterling (£) and Euros (€) are accepted. Due to the distribution of subsistence money, we advise that students withdraw money from banks as the funds will be withdrawn in the local currency. The most reliable bank is the Cuban BFI Bank as many other banks use Cuban pesos rather than the Cuban Convertible pesos (CUC), but there are also CADECA (change bureaus) around which all hold the same exchange rate.

The Cuba Scholarship covers the following:

-flights

-accommodation

-subsistence money

Depending on the costs of flights at the time of booking, remaining funds for accommodation and subsistence will be approximately £650 per student (roughly 878 CUC).

More information about money and currency in Cuba can be found here:

When dining out, many restaurants will add a 10% service charge to the bill but if this is not added, then 5-10% is perfectly reasonable.

  1. AFTER THE TRIP

Throughout the trip, we encourage students to take photographs which depict their time in Cuba and these photographs may be used by the Development Office to advertise the Scholarship in the future.

Please be aware that shortly after the trip, the Development Office requirea report from each student which will demonstrate how their Scholarship was used and how they have benefitted from the trip. We therefore suggest that students make a note of their itinerary and take a diary to record these excursions and trips.

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