I decided to not go in for my last day at university and instead start my private lessons with Juan, a teacher that Jesus recommended that does private classes for £3 an hour. I realised I only have a full week left so may as well start a fresh. I had two hours of lessons and felt really happy and confident by the end. I met Jopi in town after and we went for lunch a great little place where they do a set menu for about £3 for three courses. We had banana daiquiris and the staff treated us very well. They called Jopi Sir which was amusing and very polite. I've heard if you want to go into the big hotels like the Nacionale with Cuban people it can be hard. I saw a very well dressed young Cuban couple trying to get into Hotel Parque Central and they were turned away. Even though there is little social class systems among Cubans, the divide between tourists and Cubans is huge. Here, I am treated like a princess wherever I go. I think even if I wanted to get into the plushest hotel in my underwear, I could! It's a sad fact, and normal Cubans can NEVER afford to go out to restaurants. People socialise and drink but the only things cheap here are rum, even a can of beer is 60p which when the average way is £6 a month, makes it very expensive.

After lunch we had planned to go to Playa del Este, Havana's closest beach. We took a shared taxi which dropped us off in the middle of nowhere. Jopi led me down a disserted country road which was heading up hill. I had absolutely no idea where I was being taken to but once we got to the peak of the hill, we were confronted with a gorgeous view of white sand, palm trees and lapis blue sea. We passed the time on the beach drinking rum out of fresh coconuts and swimming in the choppy straights of Florida. We got a fit of the giggles while out at sea and both nearly drowned from laughing so much! After sunset a few travelling musicians played son and bolero, Jopi grabbed me hand and we danced in the sand while the waves lapping at our feet. Every day we spend together is like something straight out of a cheesy chick flick, I am absolutely loving it! We got back home late, and had an impromptu salsa class, which was actually really intense and Jopi definitely is not going to go easy on me. After we chilled out and he found my old hip hop videos on my laptop cerca 2003. We discovered we both loved Ja Rule during our early teens and then had a total Ja Rule session in my room dancing and re-enacting old J-lo and Ja Rule videos! I don't think there is any other guy who I could dance around my bedroom to Ja Rule with! I feel like I've found my perfect match!

As usual the hours passed like minutes and we forgot to have dinner. By this time it was 1 in the morning on a Monday night and little chance of finding some decent food. We ventured on to the malecon and found a hole in the wall selling pizzas. Expensive and crap pizzas but they did the job. We got a taka away and sat on the wall. Jopi went to get some drinks and sure enough as soon as he left a passing man with a bottle of rum sat down next to me. When I say I'm waiting for my boyfriend, the mood changes and instead of trying to chat me up, they just want to chat. Luis-Raoul was from Pinar del Rio, another town, famous for being the region where cigars are made. He was actually really lovely and had just moved to Havana and I think he was a bit lonely. Jopi returned and greeted him with a smile, a what's up and a handshake. The three of us then sat chatting sharing his bottle of rum. I am so grateful how Jopi handles these situations, that being the third of the day. He is so friendly and chatty even with guys who were potentially trying to chat me up. He doesn't get at all jealous and neither does he treat me like I'm his property he needs to secure from other men.

I had my Spanish lesson with Juan and went to a few museums afterwards. I went to el Museo de Baile, the dance museum. I take back everything I said about people doing the minimum amount of work because of the lack of incentives and job security. The women in this museum were wonderful, talking me through each display and introducing me to the rooms and really trying to make me understand when the language barrier became apparent. The little old ladies selling me tickets were lovely and very friendly and although there were about fifteen people working in a museum which is lucky to get one visitor a day, when that one comes in, they really give them their all. They went over and above their role at no extra pay so there are defiantly exceptions to the rule that neo-liberalism is based on where people need incentives to work hard.

I met up with Katie at her house and we went to Havana's most famous jazz club, Zorra y el Cuervo. I was first introduced to jazz by my friend Pharoah, a locally famous jazz drummer, whom I met while I was living in Brixton. While in Brixton, I would usually go to watch Pharoah perform about twice a week at different jazz nights held at local pubs. Although I'm no expert, I have seen my fair share over the past year in Brixton and at Ronnie Scots in Soho. The jazz I watched at Zorro y el Cuervo however, was the best jazz I have ever seen. The talent was incredible. We arrived to the smoky basement bar at around ten, it was totally dead. Bear in mind this was on a Tuesday but by the time the band started at eleven the place packed out completely. Two mojitos were included in the £6 cover charge but for the quality of the music, it was a bargain. We stayed till the band finished at one by that point, merrily tipsy. Jopi and I literally danced our way home, prancing around the concrete soviet structures that "decorate" the parks in my area.

I found a great paladar (a restaurant operated out of someone's kitchen in their home), close to my Spanish teachers home. For a pound you could get a big plate of delicious food. The quality of food is a big joke in Cuba, where the lack of imports and lack of food manufacturing limit the choice of ingredients. In general the food is expensive and unappetising, so to find a cheap restaurant serving delicious and fresh food is a rarity. I met with Jopi afterwards and went to a concert at UNEAC, the main art and cultural centre in Havana, although every town no matter how small will have a UNEAC. We sat drinking mojitos in the leafy courtyard watching a variety of performances which happen every Wednesday afternoon. Afterwards we went out to a lovely restaurant and found a delicious bakery selling gooey éclairs. Today was a very good food day and a welcome change from hotdogs, burgers, pizza and poorly cooked chicken and rice, which was what I've got accustomed to.

The next day was el dia de Amor, Valentines Day. This is taken very seriously in Cuba so I was in for a treat. Unfortunately for me, Jopi had to work from 9am till 10pm with only a few hours break in the afternoon. I met with Katie in the afternoon and took the open top tour bus around the city. While we were at the bus stop and young boy who had just taken his girlfriend on the tour gave us his day passes which was lovely. I have done this numerous times in London and it finally paid off! The tour was informative and great to see Havana at a different angle. It was also the first time I took pictures of the buildings. We hopped off at Parque Central to get churros and headed to the theatre to meet Jopi. I was buying some water before we made our way there and he appeared out of nowhere holding the biggest, prettiest bunch of flowers I'd ever seen, let alone been given! They were beautiful. He also bought Katie a flower as well, which was really sweet.

We all jumped back on the bus and continued the tour while the sun was setting. It was perfect. Jopi went back to work and I walked along the malecon watching the array of couples sat on the wall together with a bottle of rum and their Valentines Day gifts. I was carrying my massive bunch of flowers which trumped them all and a couple guys even said "felicidades", congratulations. The flowers acted as a wedding ring and I got a lot less kissy sounds and sleazy pick up lines, which any girl, Cuban and foreign, must get used to. Katie and I went for a cocktail on the tenth floor of Hotel Parque Central, which has a spectacular view of the city and Capitolio. We then headed to watch Jopi's show at Teatro America which was packed out with couples on their Valentines Day dates. Afterwards, Jopi and I had some beers in the park, then went for a late meal. I wanted to go dancing but Jopi had been dancing at work for nearly twelve hours and he was obviously exhausted.

The next day the weather turned and poured with rain all day. I met Katie and Annie after my class and then the heavens really opened. I've never experienced such large raindrops, we were soaked in seconds and took shelter in the nearest building which just so happened to be Floridita. Since we were there, we got some daiquiris and Jopi met me after work. He had problems getting in because he's not a tourist, which I'm sure would make anyone feel embarrassed. We were all shocked but he just said its normal in the tourist bars to be refused entry unless you enter with a tourist. After that experience with the doorman we went to another bar round the corner called Montserrat which was friendlier. We spent the rest of the evening bar hopping and dining in an old print works called La Imprenta. We took a collectivo to Miramar and went to a club that my friend Sean, from my old bar company, recommended. When we arrived we quickly realised it was the equivalent of a university fresher party! We were the oldest people their by about eight years but I had a great time dancing to reggaeton and joining in when the hundred or so people there busted out in the electric slide and then stepped back to watch the scene when Gangham Style came on! We drank the bar dry which eventually ran out of everything and stumbled home.

The next day we ventured to Alamar where Jopi lives. It's a suburb, twenty minutes outside of Havana on the coast. It's famous for being the birth place of Cuban rap in the 1980s. The Cuban government quickly clocked onto the rap scene and subsidised it to ensure that rappers would discuss politically friendly topics instead of rapping against the government and the system. Alamar was like any suburb outside of Spanish, French or Italian cities. Jopi's home was a simple two bedroom apartment with decent sized rooms and nice living room and nice little kitchen. It was very normal and very comfortable. His mom Omara, was lovely, full of life and energy like his son and his little sister Denise was shy but very sweet. We went to a little restaurant around the corner and I tried to make small chat with his sister. Chatting to a fifteen year old girl is difficult even without a language and cultural barrier! But we had fun once we started talking about Beyonce!

Jopi and I said goodbye to his family and headed back into town. Later that night we went to the Canonazo at the castle across the bay. The canonazo is a ceremony that occurs every night at 9pm. A canon is fired to signify the time when the gate to the city would close when Havana was surrounded by walls and forts to protect the city from pirate invasions in the 17th century. Now men dress in period regalia and fire a canon every night at 9pm to remember this tradition. The castle was even busier than usual because of the famous book festival being held close by. After we headed to Miramar for some drinks and later found a dirty, sweaty, packed basement club. We danced the night away to reggaeton and staggered on home sometime after sunrise. Unfortunately Pepe's mom was arriving from Florida for four days so I had to move out and stay with Licet's friend down the road. Although a massive inconvenience, she's given me a great rate and has been lovely so far. In these situations you can chose to make a fuss and get angry or just leave it. I usually chose the later, even if it means me moving all my stuff to another house at 9am on a Sunday morning after only a couple hours of sleep!

Jopi headed to work and I headed to sleep! I surfaced at about three in the afternoon got ready and headed to the theatre to watch the Sunday afternoon show. Getting in the backdoor has become a regular occurrence and I now feel the theatre is like my second home. The quality of the dancing for this particular show was incredible. For the next two hours I was dazzled by displays of bachata, tango, salsa and rumba amongst other performances. We headed to Prado for an expensive £25 meal for two pizzas! But the pizzas were fantastic and they actually had olives and artichokes! After we went to Hotel Florida, a popular salsa club frequented by saggy, middle aged foreign women and their hot young Cuban boyfriends! I felt strange being part of that club but the venue itself was vey cool. Hotel Florida was built in the 1800s and very iconic. Many of the fittings and furniture are still from that time. Jopi and I danced up a storm and some Cubans came up to us at the end to tell us we were the best couple dancing.

I had my last Spanish class with Jaun. He had been my favourite Spanish teacher so far. I remember seeing his couch surfing profile and not feeling comfortable taking private lessons in his home, but once we spoke on the phone I soon realised he was a gay as they come! He lived with his partner Leo and their husky puppy, Nala. Jopi and I went for some food and beers on the malecon after where Katie met us. We tried to go to a club, Egrem, which I was recommended. We arrived at 7 and it already it had finished! Apparently between 5 and 7 a live band plays to a packed out club every Monday! Although we missed it we wanted to dance so headed back to a bar on Obispo. We danced to a packed out restaurant and the more the rum flowed, the crazier the dancing became! After a few hours I was dancing so hard. Unfortunately a tray on the bar got in my firing line and as a flicked my arm out after one spin I sent a whole tray of condiments smashing to the floor. Vinegar, oil and salt covered the dance floor. The band played on and we carried on dancing. When the song finished we grabbed our stuff and made a quick exit laughing our way all the way down the street. It could have been potentially really embarrassing but that's not how we are. Although I never did go back to that bar! Afterwards our spirits were high and Katie was getting on it as well. We took a taxi to another club called La Gruta. The taxi driver cranked up the volume and we danced in our seats all the way there. We danced our socks off and between us spent every penny we had on shots of rum.

The next day Jopi had arranged a house party after his mom left for a 2 month work trip to Venezuela. She works in education and inspects schools in other Latin American countries. To Jopi this means FREE HOUSE! He arranged a party simply by sending a couple texts. By the time we arrived to his home in Alamar his friends were waiting at the door! We bought some bottles of rum, got the sound system up and running and all of his old home friends started to arrive. I had a great time dancing and experiencing a Cuban house party. I was able to have some proper conversations in Spanish but like meeting his sister, meeting someone's group of close friends is a daunting experience let alone with a language and cultural barrier!

Jopi had work at 9 the next day and again I went straight to sleep after getting back into Havana. I had my last meal on the malecon and got ready for the party at Licet's house. Marina and Craig had organised a leaving party with their musician friends. The party was fantastic but a stark change from the party the previous night. The age range was around forties but everyone had a great time. Each person had their own instrument. An epic jam session commenced with about fifteen different musicians and their instruments and Jopi and I danced. It's so nice to be able to contribute. I also got to say goodbye to Margarita and thank her as she introduced Jopi and I on my second day. We left around midnight but the party was still going strong. We, however, were exhausted from the night before, and I didn't have to do a full days work either!

The next day I had to go back to Alamar to retrieve my jacket I had left at Jopi's after the party. He was at work the whole day and although I have made the journey about six times, half of those times were slightly drunk so getting a shared taxi (collectivo) from a specific point in the city with no signs, getting the taxi driver to drop me off on a side of the road in the middle of nowhere and walking 15 minutes through an estate where all the high rises look the same, scared me slightly! Luckily I managed to convince Katie to come with me and pitched it as an adventure outing to the "Real Cuba"! She wasn't buying any of it but came with me for company. We packed ourselves into the taxi and I remembered our stop off point once we were in Alamar. Amazingly I got us to the house not letting on to Katie when I was feeling totally lost. The scene would have been hilarious to the local residents. Two tourists walking around alone slightly lost in their neighbourhood. I'm sure a lot of people were thinking "Girls this isn't the way to the beach!".

I spent my last afternoon taking photos of my neighbourhood, the university and Havana Vieja. I met with Katie and Annie after their classes. We had lunch in Plaza Vieja and had my last churros. We met with Jopi and his friend on their break and headed to the malecon for my last mojitos. By this point time was getting short; we headed home, collected my things and made our way to the airport. The sun set while we were packed into a beat up old van with other Cubans heading to the airport. Realising it was all over, we had a tearful goodbye before Jopi had to rush off back to the theatre in time for the evening show. I sat outside savouring the warm night air and reflecting on the past month. Coming to Cuba, was one of the best decisions I've made. I had the time of my life but all great things must come to an end. The next chapter of my life a waits.