A Cuban woman living in King Salmon, a remote village in Alaska, has touched the hearts of thousands with videos showcasing her life amid the snow, silence, and hard work. On TikTok, the young woman known as ByYoha has become a voice that inspires other migrants with her story of adaptation and perseverance.
In one of her most viewed videos, the creator invites users to discover the place where she lives. “I am the Cuban who lives in Alaska, and I want to show you a little piece of my world. Welcome to King Salmon, a remote place in Alaska. As you can see, there are no large shopping malls, no big stores, or fancy restaurants; everything is concentrated in just a few places: the bank, the store, the airport, a restaurant, a bar, and not much more. There’s no traffic, no lines, no constant noise, and that’s what life is like in a small, remote place,” she says with a mix of pride and serenity. At the end, she poses a question that sparked a debate among thousands of people: “Would you dare to live in a place like this? I’m looking forward to your comments.”
The responses reflect surprise, humor, and admiration. “I never thought a Cuban could get used to living in Alaska," one person wrote. Another commented, "A Cuban adapts anywhere except in Cuba." There were also those who took it humorously: "I don’t mind, just talk to me about the money and I’ll go even if it’s to Siberia." Others simply wished him "blessings," "success," or thanked him for sharing his story.
In another one of her videos, the young woman delves into what it has meant to exchange the warmth of the island for extreme cold. “I am Yoha, the Cuban who lives in Alaska, in a remote place called King Salmon, where the cold is not just weather; it’s part of daily life. I come from an island full of warmth, sounds, and activity, and today I walk among snow and silence, learning to adapt to a completely different environment.”
His account transforms into a statement of principles. “Nothing here is easy, nothing is given for free, and everything is built through effort and perseverance. There are days when the cold weighs heavily, fatigue accumulates, and the path feels uphill, but I continue to move forward. I didn't cross countries to give up; I crossed borders to grow. This country taught me that dreams are not always pursued without fear, but with discipline, determination, and a firm footing in the snow.”
"I am an immigrant, I am Cuban, and I am writing my story step by step in Alaska, because even in the harshest winters, growth continues, and each day in this place reminds me that moving forward, even slowly, is also a way to arrive," adds @byyoh_a in another of her testimonies where the camera captures the vast whiteness of her surroundings.
Soon after, she shared that she decided to embark on a new journey and leave her job to start her own business amid that frozen landscape. “A few months ago, I left my job and decided to open my own cleaning company here in King Salmon, Alaska. Right now, I'm driving the smaller car in the back, which is easier for me, but the vehicle you see in front is a retired ambulance, and my husband is the one driving it today.”
Naturally, he shows how that ambulance has become an essential part of his project. “That ambulance is part of my business; it’s what I use as a storage space where I keep my products, my equipment, and everything I need to work. My company is called Miracle Cleaning Services because Miracle is my middle name; Milagros is my second name, so to speak.”
In her testimony, ByYoha acknowledges the challenges of embarking on a venture in an extreme environment. “With these extreme temperatures, it has been a nightmare to get it off the ground. These are weather conditions we haven’t seen in over four years, even while living in Alaska, and yet, we didn’t give up. So if you’re thinking about starting your own cleaning company or any other business, don’t let anything hold you back. The difficulties aren’t signs to stop; they are tests life gives you to see how much you truly want it.”
Her message has generated empathy and respect among users, many of whom are Cubans scattered around the world, who see in her a reflection of their own history. "You are a disciplined young woman... you are doing well," wrote one woman. "God will always bless you; for the conquerors, there is no 'no' as an answer," commented another. "What pride it is to hear from an immigrant woman, especially a Cuban, with that mindset," someone else wrote.
Amid the applause, supportive advice and gestures also come through. "My Cuban friend, just add an electrical resistor to the engine's carburetor and buy an inverter... it all costs less than 100 dollars," one user recommended. She responded simply, "We have a winter pack, and it has been amazing... thank you for the advice, blessings."
ByYoha usually responds with gratitude and faith. "Thank you, blessings," she often writes. In one of her most recent responses, she summed up her outlook on life in one sentence: “Never giving up was never an option.”
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