Spanish Students Take a Trip to Calle Ocho, Exploring Miami’s Cuban Influence

Sophia Kingston, Contributing Writer • 110 Views

November 20, 2023

Students Explore Calle Ocho

Students take a guided tour to start off their day. (Sophia Kingston)

Students walk alongside their tour guide, Corinna while she admires the streets of Calle Ocho. “Corinna was the best, she taught us so much and knew so much, it was very impressive,” junior Kate Callebro said.
Dance and art are an integral part of Calle Ocho. (Sophia Kingston)

Corinna, the group's tour guide, teaches students Cuban dance moves, while students laugh and dance along with her.
The tour also stopped by Domino Park! (Sophia Kingston)

Students play a round of dominos in the Máximo Gómez Park. “It was my first time playing dominos and I'm glad I got to learn it so that now I can play with my family and friends,” sophomore Isabel Mcginnis said.
The tour stopped at a local shop where students learned about local goods. (Sophia Kingston)

Señor Pinnilia, Paloma Pinnilias’ father, hands Cuban coffee to a student. He also gave a presentation to the group at his store, Futurama. The presentation contained many fun facts about Miami's Cuban community and culture. “Cuban coffee was delicious, it was very sweet and I'm not a fan of coffee but this one was amazing,” sophomore Bianca Villa said.
Calle Ocho is full of interesting stores. (Sophia Kingston)

Students explore the Futurama store. They saw a variety of art pieces, clothes, jewelry, and more.
Students got a chance to try one of Miami’s most popular ice cream shops! (Sophia Kingston)

Junior Sofia Ciperski crosses the street with ice cream in hand. After lunch, the students headed to La heladería “Azúcar” where they got to taste the famous ice cream.
A long tour ended with a sweet treat. (Sophia Kingston)

Students enjoy ice cream from one of Calle Ocho’s most well-known shops: La heladería “Azúcar”.

The beats of conga drums and salsa music and dominos clapping against each other filled the air as students stepped off the bus on Calle Ocho on Nov. 13 where they enriched their knowledge on Hispanic culture and on the Cuban influence within Miami’s community. It was a way for students to learn more about Miami’s Cuban community and how it has evolved over time.

“This is a special field trip and a requirement for this level as we learn and establish a meaningful connection between our curriculum and our local community. Students were immersed in the history, social dynamics, and artistic expressions of our Hispanic community through the exploration of historical Little Havana,” Spanish teacher Maria Eva Molina said.

Students attended a two hour tour guided by a local expert who took the students to many different traditional Cuban places such as La Frutería “Los Pinareños” (a local food market), Futurama (a Cuban art store), and La heladería “Azúcar” (a local ice cream shop). The tour came to an end in El restaurante Ball & Chain where each student enjoyed a traditional Cuban meal.

“My favorite part of the trip was getting to taste Cuban food, live through Cuban culture for a day, and experience Cuban music. Also, I really enjoyed getting to know my classmates better and forming a bond with them,” senior Paloma Pinnilia said.

The trip also brought an opportunity for students to learn new things and participate in many different activities for the first time.

“I had a blast during this trip, I was able to learn various different new things,” junior Thais Blas said. “I loved getting the chance to play dominos with my classmates, and be able to experience a little bit of Cuban culture,” she added.

Calle Ocho was created in 1978, as a way for Cuban immigrants to immerse themselves in American culture and provide them with a taste of what Cuba is like. Today, Calle Ocho is known as a “Natural Treasure” because it is a place where many different cultures come together to experience the Cuban culture and way of living.