Still Here

Manuel Barcia Paz was a Chevening scholar 14 years’ ago. He is now Professor of Latin American History at the University of Leeds. A big thanks to Manuel for sending me his story.

It seems like ages since I arrived at London-Heathrow airport all those years ago alongside fellow Chevening scholar Davide Casagrandi. Since then my life has taken several twists and turns, and discussing my experiences during the first year in the UK does not seem that relevant anymore, especially after reading what other more recent Cuban Chevening scholars have written about on Tim’s wonderful blog.

Even so, I’m going to try my best to tell a few funny anecdotes that may help highlight the “cultural shock” that all foreign students get during those first months. Upon my arrival at the University of Essex in Colchester, where I took a masters degree in Comparative History, and eventually a PhD as well, I found myself part of a truly international community. Essex was, and still is today, one of the most international universities in Britain. Two weeks after I arrived there was a Euro-qualifying football match between England and Greece, and I clearly recall going to watch it at the Students’ Union bar with a couple of new Mexican friends, and finding myself completely surrounded not by English, but by Greeks. Before too long I had friends from all corners of the globe, some of whom are still very close even though 14 years have passed by since we met.

In reality, all the inductions you receive in Havana cannot prepare you for the nature of the experience that awaits you here, both in the classroom and outside of it. Just to cite an interesting example, the Albert Sloman Library of the University of Essex is famous for its paternoster elevator, which never stops. You literally have to jump in as it goes up or down, and then jump out when you reach your floor.

In the classroom, the first weeks were brutal. In my first class I had two teachers, one Canadian, one British. While the Canadian lecturer talked to us, I remained focused and was able to understand most of what she said, but as soon as the British professor took over, well, I did not understand one word. I just began wondering whether I would ever be able to finish that master’s degree after all! Thankfully, after a few weeks, everything changed and my ears sort of opened up.

Before I conclude I should probably write a bit about my post-Chevening experience. When I finally finished my masters I was able to apply for another scholarship that allowed me to carry on studying for a PhD. At the time I had planned to go back to Cuba, to continue working at the Museo de la Ciudad de la Habana, where I was employed at the time. However, this opportunity was so good that I could just not miss it, and until this day, I do not regret staying here to further my education.
Taking a PhD at a university with a world-class reputation in the Humanities, is much more than just taking a degree. Over there I was able to interact with some of the most important scholars of our time, from Paul Thompson (the “father” of Oral History) to Ernesto Laclau and Robin Blackburn, who incidentally was also the internal examiner of my PhD thesis.

Afterwards, I went through the motions within the British university system, starting as teaching fellow, a job that was as demanding as they come. There are a few glaring differences between the higher education systems of Cuba and Britain. At the University of Havana I had truly wonderful teachers, some of whom were also internationally- renown researchers. However, that’s probably where the similarities finish. Job mobility, for example, is almost non-existent in Cuba, while here there are job openings all the time across the country. Before I secured a permanent position at the University of Leeds I had job interviews in several universities. More to the point, almost certainly the only way of getting an academic position in the UK is by showing that you are the best person for the job. The system is based on merit and knowing or not knowing people in the hiring committees, at least in my experience, made very little difference.

I can say today, 14 years after arriving in this wonderful country, that I was received with open arms and that I have always been treated with respect and consideration, not just within the academic world, but also out of it. This, of course, compensates for the distance that you feel when you are away from home and your close relatives, and especially in those days where you cannot find a decent mango or a good papaya anywhere in Leeds. Ultimately, by coming to the UK to study, you are taking a big leap of faith into the unknown, and this is especially the case if you have never been abroad before. For those who take it, however, the rewards are simply marvelous.