Our recent trip to Cuba with the Florida Bar's international law section stirred up age-old controversies about U.S.-Cuba relations integral to South Florida life.

For our part, we approached the trip from very different perspectives: one as a Cuban-American daughter of immigrants who is keenly aware of the suffering endured by countless families; the other from the perspective of most Americans who, while sensitive to the plight of the Cuban community, lacks the raw emotional connection to the island and its history.

As we boarded our surprisingly short flight to Havana, neither of us knew what to expect, but we were keenly aware of our role as legal pioneers exploring an unknown frontier after a half-century of isolation.