Things no one tells you about returning to Cuba: "What you held dear in your mind no longer exists."

An emotional video shared on TikTok reflects the impact and feelings of Cubans when they return to the island after having left.

"Things that no one tells you about returning to Cuba" reads in the moving material uploaded to the network by the user Naty Macareno, reflecting the complex emotions of returning to the island after some time away.

Accompanied by the emotional melody "Experience (Piano and Violin)" by Pietro Scichilone, the video presents a series of phrases that describe the pain and heartbreak that many Cuban immigrants feel when returning to their homeland.

"What you held so dearly in your mind no longer exists," reads at the beginning, a statement that encapsulates the disillusionment of finding a country and a reality changed, distant from the idealized memories. The feeling of not belonging is expressed with the phrase "you will have a horrible sensation that you are no longer from here nor from there," a feeling of uprooting that hits many upon their return.

The confrontation with the senses is also evident when she mentions that "the smells and tastes that you used to normalize and enjoy will clash with you," illustrating how even familiar sensory experiences can become strange and disturbing. The internal conflict deepens with "your heart will feel just as divided or more," reflecting the emotional struggle between love for the home country and the life built abroad.

The emptiness felt, sharper upon returning, "the tightness in the chest," speak of the complex emotions that many Cubans face when returning to their homeland, marked by a mixture of nostalgia, loss, and love.