This April, Wayland High School students will embark on an unprecedented trip to what was a nearly impossible destination before political changes were made in March of 2016. These students will be going to Cuba.

While WHS has been bringing students to Spanish-speaking countries, such as Spain and Costa Rica, for years, a trip to Cuba is an entirely unprecedented excursion, due to the history between the United States and the Caribbean nation. In fact, many recent affairs with Cuba are historic: the embassies had been closed until 2015, and the first commercial flight between the countries landed in Santa Clara in August of 2016.

The lack of a relationship between the nations is due to an embargo initiated in 1960.

A year prior, Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro lead a coup d’etat against the US-backed President Fulgencio Batista. The Castro government took over private businesses, and trade between the countries deteriorated. When Cuba began to trade with the USSR instead, the Cold War adversary of the United States, diplomatic relations were severed entirely, and embassies in both nations were closed.

The next 50 years only saw a worsening in the relations, despite the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. It wasn’t until the Obama administration that there appeared to be a thaw between the nations: characterized by loosening in trade, travel and diplomatic regulations and exemplified by President Obama’s historic visit in March of 2016.

Now Wayland High School students, too, have an opportunity to be a part of history with the upcoming Cuba trip.

According to Spanish teacher Nicole Haghdoust, a key organizer of the trip, this excursion is “an exciting and unique opportunity for students to visit Cuba and practice their Spanish.”

The trip is possible because it is classified as educational. However, despite how recently the opportunity has become available, the planning has not been as challenging as one might think.

“The organization process is not difficult, but it does take up some time,” Haghdoust said.

The school has been working with Putney Student Travel in order to arrange logistics for the best possible experience for students.

Anyone in their second year of Spanish at the high school level or beyond is eligible to go on the trip, and the group will leave on April 13th.