Cuban in Florida, about life in the United States: "How can someone earning $14 per hour save up to buy a car?"

A Cuban residing in Tampa (Florida) has gone viral on TikTok by sharing a video in which she explains that a friend who emigrated to the United States is considering returning to Cuba, as the reality of living in the United States has been different from his expectations.

In the video, the woman who goes by the username @silvita_solamente on TikTok tells the story of a friend who recently confessed to her that, had he known what awaited him in the United States, he would not have left Cuba. "Someone was telling me the other day that if they had imagined the situation they were going to experience in the United States, they wouldn't have come from Cuba," the Cuban woman begins.

According to the story, his friend sold his house, his animals, and all his belongings to be able to emigrate, encouraged by the promises of friends who were already living in the United States. "Some friends he has here went to Cuba and told him that here he was going to work, make money, and succeed. But it hasn't been that way because the situation has changed," he explains.

The Cuban woman also mentions the disproportionate increase in prices in the United States, using the cost of cars as an example. "I remember that a car used to cost a thousand pesos, mine cost a thousand pesos, but in previous decades they even gave it to you for free. Now it costs a minimum of seven thousand. How can a person earning 14 dollars an hour save up to buy a car?"

The woman's friend is considering going back to Cuba, despite having sold everything to come to the United States. According to her, many people who emigrate do not do it for political reasons, but for economic ones. "He was telling me that he is going back to Cuba because even though he says he sold everything there, he can get ahead. Most of us who come here do it to fill our bellies, not because of political problems. Really, he was one of those who came looking for economic reasons. Not many think about dictatorships, but about food," the young woman concludes.

This video has generated a large number of comments and debates on social media, with many users sharing their own experiences and opinions about life as an immigrant in the United States.

"I better said that people now arrive and want to have from the first day what their friend or family member who helped them come has, they no longer settle for a thousand dollar car and want to earn $20 an hour", "I left Cuba and I am dying here. Neither car nor anything, knowing that I have freedom is enough for me", "I have just arrived and it is tough, even if you have family here. In moments of anxiety, I have even thought about returning but I think a lot about my daughter who I brought with me and her future", "It's tough right now, but the solution is never to return to Cuba", "I agree with you but I am going to work hard so that my daughter does have the future and opportunities that I did not have".