"They played more for like the love of the game which is really cool because you're having more fun while you're playing," said Jack Elias, a sophomore baseball player.
"We learned a lot. We got to see some things that some of these guys have never seen before growing up in Marin County," said Michael Terry, the head baseball coach.
"I heard it was really poor, but proud. And that was very true," said Chloe Jacobs, a sophomore softball player.
"I saw students actually being in the moment, experiencing life in the moment, having fun in the moment. They weren't on their smartphones, texting. They weren't talking to their friends. They were actually participating together as a group," said Brian Zailian, the global studies director.
The parents admit it was a little hard to have their kids so far away.
"Having no contact was hard, but it was great knowing what they were doing every day. We had the itinerary and tried to follow along vicariously," said Michele Jacobs, a parent.
But they know it was worth it.
"I was just so happy to know he was having this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I mean, how many kids get to go to Havana and play baseball?" said Jennifer Turpin, a parent.
The experience was so positive for the kids that the global studies director tells me his goal is to bring some of the Cuban teams visit California to play exhibition games in Mill Valley.
