A tour of a house in Cuba ended up becoming one of the most discussed videos of the week among Cubans both inside and outside the island. Iris Deysi, a resident in the United States and known on TikTok as @iris_laprospera, posted a clip last Friday showcasing the home that she and her husband built from scratch, accompanied by a simple yet hopeful phrase: “There are still things to do, but we are almost ready.”
What seemed like an ordinary video quickly unleashed a cascade of reactions that went far beyond the house itself.
The images depict a new home with spacious areas, covered porches made of zinc, and even a pineapple plantation on the property. Iris showcases every corner with evident pride, fully aware of the effort and sacrifice that went into this achievement. When a user asked how long the construction had been underway, she responded, "Since August of last year." And to those who assumed they had bought the house already built, she clarified, "My husband and I made it new ourselves because buying it that way is more difficult."
However, the most comments were generated by the zinc roof of the porches. "Oh, but all that just to put on a zinc roof... Oh no, how awful," wrote one user. Iris calmly replied, "Those are porches." Another comment noted that with the heat in Cuba, it would be "an oven," although they acknowledged that the house was "very pretty."
Even so, the technical critiques were completely overshadowed by the wave of support, admiration, and empathy generated by the video.
"I'm very happy to see our people achieving their dreams. Congratulations, it’s going to be beautiful," commented a follower. Another added, "I can only imagine the hard work, the exhaustion, and the sacrifices they must have made to accomplish that."
Many users also took the opportunity to warn her about envy. "A healthy piece of advice: there’s nothing worse than sight, and we are too envious. Enjoy your achievement alone; people are mean," wrote one person in one of the most popular comments. Others agreed with messages like: "Enjoy your accomplishments in silence" and "How much envy there is in the comments."
Several emigrated Cubans resonated with the story and shared their own experiences. "I'm completing mine; I'm almost done," shared one user. Another wrote: "The house is beautiful, but the pineapple plantation stole the show."
The harsher and more political reflections were also present. "Let someone from the dictatorship like it; nothing is yours there," commented one user. Another quipped, "The sector chief likes your house." And one summed it all up with sarcasm: "The real American dream."
One of the comments that sparked the most debate was from a user who claimed that, beyond building a house, his priority had been to get his daughters out of Cuba: "The house is still there, but the day the island is free, I will truly feel hope."
Iris's video joins an increasingly common trend among emigrated Cubans who showcase on social media the homes they build on the island with money earned abroad. And it almost always results in the same: admiration, nostalgia, pride, criticism, and debate all mixed together in one place.
Because beyond the doorways, the zinc, or the pineapples planted in the yard, this type of video ultimately touches on something much deeper: the dream of thousands of Cubans who live far from home, work for years, and continue to imagine a piece of Cuba that they may one day return to.
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