Cuban youth are more involved in art and design than ever before. In the past, Cubans have not had the room or liberty to partake in artistic ventures, given that they were not permitted to express themselves in unique ways. Now, however, there are fashion brands, painting shops, and silkscreening studios on every block. Michael, one of Clandestina's employees, told us that "There are now a lot of studios... Young designers are growing. I have three students working with me who do silkscreening. They make their own designs. The tattoo artists are really new here, too." He circled some of these studios on a map so that we could take a look for ourselves.

Cuba's youth have always been vibrant on the inside, both in the past and now. Although Cubans could not stand out in terms of their image, our friend Jaisel explained what he has seen over his twenty years living in Santiago de Cuba: "Cubans have always loved dancing, having fun, and a sense of community. That is something that has never changed."

Cubans are breaking the rules a little bit more. Cuban youth have something called "packets": flash drives filled with American media. Cubans pass these around through underground networks so that they can listen to new music and view new things.

People have passions, and it's easier to pursue them, but harder to make it. Cuban youth are exploring their passions more than ever. We talked to young aspiring musicians, scientists, and philosophers. But the economy hasn't stopped crumbling, and people are feeling the pressure. So how do you make it in Cuba? As an employee at Clandestina explained to us: "We rely on tourism. Tourists pay a lot of money for our clothes, and it's harder for Cubans to buy it. So we give the Cuban people a pretty big discount."

They wanted to have discussions. In talking to some students studying at the University of Havana, we realized the curiosity that they had due to the lack of media. They asked about the latest politics, philosophy, religion, and more. Turns out that we knew almost as little about Cuba as they did about America, which leads us to our next point.

Cuba is sorely misunderstood. Cubans might have a lack of media, but it turns out that we also have a lack of media in the U.S... more specifically, media about Cuba. Our families were worried about us coming to Cuba. They worried about government surveillance, violence, or simply our presence as an American and a Ukrainian. But we never once felt unsafe (unless you count the time we were stalked by stray dogs). Everyone was as welcoming and kind as you could possibly imagine.

Cubans love being Cuban. They're proud of it. And they have the chance to define it more than they ever have. They're wearing what they want, studying what they want, and listening to what they want. And all the while, they're keeping their bright spirits alive.