{"id":2761,"date":"2019-06-14T09:28:43","date_gmt":"2019-06-14T13:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/?p=2761"},"modified":"2019-07-30T09:41:34","modified_gmt":"2019-07-30T13:41:34","slug":"prasannaa-venkatesh-class-of-2020-shares-stories-from-the-darden-worldwide-course-to-cuba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/2019\/06\/14\/prasannaa-venkatesh-class-of-2020-shares-stories-from-the-darden-worldwide-course-to-cuba\/","title":{"rendered":"Prasannaa Venkatesh (Class of 2020) Shares Stories from the Darden Worldwide Course to Cuba"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Prasannaa Venkatesh (class of 2020) grew up in Chennai, India. Prior to Darden, he was an Associate with the Bain Capability Network, India. He recently participated in <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.darden.virginia.edu\/mba\/darden-worldwide\/immersion\/cuba\/\"><em>Darden\u2019s Worldwide Course (DWC) to Cuba<\/em><\/a><em>, focused on learning from an \u2018Economy in Transition\u2019, along with 31 fellow classmates. Prasannaa reflected on some of the meaningful moments from the course in this photo essay.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"has-dropcap\">A<\/span>s I navigate these formative years of my life, I have come to imbibe Greek philosopher Heraclitus\u2019 words, &#8220;Everything changes and nothing stands still.&#8221; My first year at Darden has been a whirlwind of great experiences. In the same vein, participating in the DWC to Cuba was one of those rare instances I can look back and term as life changing.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2765 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/2B-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/2B-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/2B-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/2B-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/2B-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/2B-1320x990.jpg 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2764 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/2A-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/2A-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/2A-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/2A-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/2A-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/2A-1320x990.jpg 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>At first glance, Cuba would seem like an island wrapped in a time capsule. Arriving at Havana, its many anachronisms immediately caught my attention \u2013 Chevys and Buicks from the 50s on the roads, a legacy of Soviet era architecture, and lack of internet connectivity. Walking through the plazas of the \u2018Old City\u2019 \u2013 Havana recently celebrated its 500<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary \u2013 I was happy to note an abundance of spacious public spaces in the capital city. At twilight, Cubans and tourists alike would sit by the Malec\u00f3n (the oceanfront esplanade) to enjoy a calm evening.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2766 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/3A-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/3A-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/3A-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/3A-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/3A-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/3A.jpg 1184w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Republic of Cuba operates in a unique environment \u2013 it is one of the world\u2019s last remaining socialist economies that is centrally planned. In addition, the prohibitive embargo imposed on the Cuban people by the United States has impacted their lives in pervasive ways. Given heavy constraints on the private sector, Cuban entrepreneurs demonstrate an incredible sense of talent and enterprise to succeed against all odds. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade; but also tell a good story, and do joke about it! In interacting with Cuban entrepreneurs, I found a sense of humor and a defiant positivity in dealing with day-to-day challenges.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2768 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/4B-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/4B-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/4B-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/4B-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/4B-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/4B-1320x990.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/4B.jpg 1449w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Cuba is bursting with art, music and dance! Some of the entrepreneurs we interacted with were professional designers who had graduated from Cuba\u2019s National Art Schools. Apart from the fantastic modern art exhibits at the National Museum, colorful and creative graffiti lent themselves well to the old building walls. Surprisingly, Havana was just the tip of the iceberg. My friends and I visited other cities like Cinefuegos and Trinidad, and found the streets dotted with boutiques by local artisans.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2769 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/5A.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"915\" height=\"687\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/5A.jpg 915w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/5A-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/5A-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/5A-768x577.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 915px) 100vw, 915px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2770 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/5B-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/5B-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/5B-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/5B-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/5B-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/5B-1320x990.jpg 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Our itinerary also included several musical and dance performances. Walking the streets, it was heartening to see many live music acts perform in the evenings. We enjoyed a mellow evening with noted <em>Nueva trova<\/em> musician Frank Delgado. However, my favorite was an electrifying performance by Habanas Compas Dance, the percussion-and-dance ensemble combining Spanish folk music with Afro-Cuban and other contemporary rhythms. Of course, one cannot simply visit Cuba without trying to learn Salsa, which has roots in Cuban folk dances. I might be able to tell my right foot from my left on the dance floor now.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2771 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/6A-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/6A-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/6A-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/6A-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/6A-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/6A-1320x990.jpg 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Cuba\u2019s varying landscapes has something in it for everyone. My personal favorite was the Vi\u00f1ales valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Known for its beautiful hills, tobacco fields, and a rich multi-ethnic society that has preserved its traditional way of life, Vi\u00f1ales is a living landscape. To enjoy the sights, we went on horseback riding, biking and hiking tours. In the evenings, the main street came alive with live music and dance (and Pi\u00f1a coladas!) greeting the tourists who thronged it. We stayed at <em>casa particulares <\/em>(private homestays) at Vi\u00f1ales. Our hosts were kind and genuine, and also brilliant chefs.<\/p>\n<p>I would like to thank the <a href=\"https:\/\/news.virginia.edu\/content\/batten-foundation-gift-establishes-30-million-scholarship-program-darden\">Batten Foundation<\/a> for providing me the opportunity to attend the Worldwide Course in the form of a scholarship. I would also like to thank Professor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.darden.virginia.edu\/faculty-research\/directory\/robert-l-carraway\/\">Robert Carraway<\/a> for leading the program, and the DWC Cuba team for curating the best possible itinerary for our student group. Cuba was a blast! Having met some fantastic people who have made for memorable experiences, I am sure to look back at my time in this fascinating country with a wide smile.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-2772\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/1B-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/1B-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/1B-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/1B-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/1B-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/1B-1320x990.jpg 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prasannaa Venkatesh (class of 2020) grew up in Chennai, India. Prior to Darden, he was an Associate with the Bain Capability Network, India. He recently participated in Darden\u2019s Worldwide Course (DWC) to Cuba, focused on learning from an \u2018Economy in Transition\u2019, along with 31 fellow classmates. Prasannaa reflected on some of the meaningful moments from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":2763,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79105,79137,36745,36733,206,90248,79136],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-darden-worldwide-course","category-global-immersion","category-global-network","category-international-student","category-latin-america","category-south-asia-southeast-asia-australia","category-student-perspective","post_format-post-format-image"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.10 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Prasannaa Venkatesh (Class of 2020) Shares Stories from the Darden Worldwide Course to Cuba - Center for Global Initiatives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"14 June 2019 Prasannaa Venkatesh (class of 2020) grew up in Chennai, India. 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He recently -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/2019\/06\/14\/prasannaa-venkatesh-class-of-2020-shares-stories-from-the-darden-worldwide-course-to-cuba\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Center for Global Initiatives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-06-14T13:28:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-07-30T13:41:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\/international\/files\/2019\/06\/1A-1024x768.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lauren Wallace\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lauren Wallace\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\\\/international\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/14\\\/prasannaa-venkatesh-class-of-2020-shares-stories-from-the-darden-worldwide-course-to-cuba\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\\\/international\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/14\\\/prasannaa-venkatesh-class-of-2020-shares-stories-from-the-darden-worldwide-course-to-cuba\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lauren Wallace\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\\\/international\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/221cc390ec8caf7d1ce141f0e8038278\"},\"headline\":\"Prasannaa Venkatesh (Class of 2020) Shares Stories from the Darden Worldwide Course to Cuba\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-06-14T13:28:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-07-30T13:41:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\\\/international\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/14\\\/prasannaa-venkatesh-class-of-2020-shares-stories-from-the-darden-worldwide-course-to-cuba\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":699,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\\\/international\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\\\/international\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/14\\\/prasannaa-venkatesh-class-of-2020-shares-stories-from-the-darden-worldwide-course-to-cuba\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\\\/international\\\/files\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/1A.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Darden Worldwide Course\",\"Global Immersion\",\"global network\",\"International Students\",\"Latin America\",\"South Asia, Southeast Asia &amp; Australia\",\"Student Perspective\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\\\/international\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/14\\\/prasannaa-venkatesh-class-of-2020-shares-stories-from-the-darden-worldwide-course-to-cuba\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\\\/international\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/14\\\/prasannaa-venkatesh-class-of-2020-shares-stories-from-the-darden-worldwide-course-to-cuba\\\/\",\"name\":\"Prasannaa Venkatesh (Class of 2020) Shares Stories from the Darden Worldwide Course to Cuba - Center for Global Initiatives\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\\\/international\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\\\/international\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/14\\\/prasannaa-venkatesh-class-of-2020-shares-stories-from-the-darden-worldwide-course-to-cuba\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\\\/international\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/14\\\/prasannaa-venkatesh-class-of-2020-shares-stories-from-the-darden-worldwide-course-to-cuba\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.darden.virginia.edu\\\/international\\\/files\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/1A.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-06-14T13:28:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-07-30T13:41:34+00:00\",\"description\":\"14 June 2019 Prasannaa Venkatesh (class of 2020) grew up in Chennai, India. 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