A Cuban woman has sparked an intense debate on social media after sharing a very personal reflection on TikTok about what it means to emigrate to the United States after having spent much of her life trying to survive in Cuba.
In a video posted by the user @soyladelvalle, the woman shares that she emigrated at the age of 37 and admits that, at times, she feels she arrived "late" to start a new life.
"I regret a thousand times having emigrated to the United States at the age of thirty-seven. There are days when I feel like I arrived too late in this country," he confesses in the video.
According to him, during his youth he remained in Cuba facing the challenges of daily life, which caused him to postpone the decision to emigrate for years.
"I spent all my youth in Cuba fighting, surviving, and solving, struggling to find work," he recounts.
The woman notes that upon arriving in the United States, she discovered that her reality was no longer the same as it would have been at 20. She now has a child, responsibilities, and a body that—she claims—already feels the wear of the years.
"When I finally arrived here and wanted to conquer the world, I realized that I don't have the same energy as I did when I was 20," he explains.
However, her reflection doesn't stop at regret. The Cuban woman asserts that over time she has understood that emigrating doesn’t mean starting late, but rather having the courage to start anew.
"Emigrating is not starting late; it is having the courage to start anew," he states.
It also highlights that, although the energy may not be the same, there is something it considers more powerful: the accumulated experience and the desire to excel.
"Maybe I don't have the same energy, but I have something much stronger: experience, a hunger to grow, and I still have a lot to give," he concludes.
The video has resonated with many immigrants who identify with its words. For many Cubans leaving the Island after years of economic hardship and lack of opportunities, starting over in another country involves not only a material challenge but also an emotional one.
Stories like this reflect a common reality among those who emigrate in adulthood: the feeling of having lost time or starting a new chapter when responsibilities are already more significant.
Even so, for thousands of Cubans who have decided to rebuild their lives outside the country, the migration process also represents the opportunity to create a different future for themselves and their families.
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