About to turn two years in Spain, the Cuban YouTuber Anita Mateu made an assessment on social media, highlighting how the second year has been much more complicated than the first.
According to what was shared in a reflective and emotive video on TikTok, the first year was filled with excitement and wonder over the new experiences: “You’re so excited because you left Cuba... it feels like a fantasy world, seeing everything for the first time... ‘wow, everything is so nice, look there’s food, I can travel’,” said @anita.mateu. However, that initial enthusiasm has gradually given way to other perceptions and feelings.
Anita shared how 2024 has been an especially difficult year for her: “Once you realize the reality, not everything is rosy, and there are more serious things at stake.” Among the most stressful challenges she mentioned is the fact that she has become self-employed, which has involved a huge amount of paperwork. “You have to do a ton of paperwork that has generated a great deal of stress for me,” she explained, acknowledging that while she doesn't complain about the system, her lack of knowledge about it has led to mistakes: “No matter how much my manager explains it to me, I have many doubts, and many times I feel like I’ve made mistakes.”
In addition to the bureaucratic challenges, the emotional weight of being away from her family has been one of the hardest aspects. In that sense, she remarked that, although at first she was "gobsmacked" by everything new, after returning to Cuba for the first time after a year, the feeling of nostalgia has intensified. "I miss my family much more strongly... I can't wait to see them again or for any of them to be able to come." In her words, "you might have material things, but that doesn't fulfill you... what fulfills you the most is being close to your loved ones."
The video has generated many reactions from its followers, some empathized with her feelings, and others shared their own migration experiences: “I am Cuban, and I feel the same, I miss my family more than ever”; “Not everything is easy, but you have to keep going and take advantage of what you’ve achieved,” commented some.
"My partner (is self-employed) always says that self-employed people in Spain do not live, but survive," added another, while one advised him: "When you can, bring your parents, because the loss while being far away is something you will never be able to overcome."
This is not the first time, however, that the young influencer reflects on her life in Spain. In March 2024, she traveled to Cuba for the first time after a year away and described that experience as "bittersweet." Later, in May, she expressed gratitude in another video for the "normal things" she now has in Spain, such as electrical stability and food availability.
His testimony continues to generate debate among his followers and create a space for reflection on the challenges and rewards of being a migrant, as well as the constant pain of family separation.
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under:
