Facing Now to Look Ahead

Rachael Trost

Reporting from Havana

Children running around the square practicing their ballet, little boys sliding down and flexing atop a dumpster, couples embracing along the Malecon at nightfall; it seems that Havana is really a place like no other I have ever experienced.

The view of Havana from our hotel.

"The People's Partner"

Rachael Trost

Reporting from Havana

It was like they were coming for us. Stevie, Claudia, and I were conducting interviews outside the United States Interest Section in Havana when the faint sound of drums began spiking the audio levels on my camera. We had been on assignment recording the stories of Cubans who were trying to visit or immigrate to the United States. The booming sound grew and grew until the sight of the Cuban flag and military personnel draped in forest green uniforms filled the cracked streets.

Plastic-Wrapped

Rachael Trost

Reporting From Miami



An airport official sorting baggage in Havana. (Photo credit Ed Rabel)



I have never felt like such a stranger in my own country. The Miami airport seemed to be filled to the brim with people speaking Spanish, wheeling carts of green plastic-wrapped merchandise with names scribbled-on with sharpie. All these sights were not accustom to me even though I have lived all over the United States. I knew that this was already an experience I would never forget.