A Cuban content creator who emigrated to Guyana about a year ago documented on TikTok her voluntary return to the island, openly explaining the reasons that led her to make this decision despite things going well for her abroad.
The TikToker, known as @yuyudecuba, filmed the video while packing her bags and acknowledged right away that her audience might not understand her decision: "I know that you watching me right now don't understand why, if I am doing so well, I want to go back to Cuba."
However, the response she gives is striking and personal: "There I have my home, I have my family, I have my entire world."
This adds an emotional need that is difficult to quantify: "Each process is different, and I do need to indulge a little and connect with my roots."
The creator spent five and a half months planning the return before finalizing it, which illustrates the significance of the decision.
Even securing the tickets turned out to be an ordeal: "We literally spent a week looking for tickets to travel to Cuba," he recounted, promising to share later which airline he found them on and how much they cost.
She traveled with two personal suitcases and a third one dedicated exclusively to gifts and essential items to take to the island, which is common among those returning after a time away.
At the time of publishing the video, the creator had not determined when she would return to the outside: "The departure is already a fact; the return is still not very clear."
Regarding the emotions she was experiencing, she admitted it was impossible for her to describe them: "The emotions I am feeling right now, I can't explain to you. I have experienced many emotions in a very short time."
At the end of the video, he posed a question to his followers: "Tell me in the comments if you had the opportunity to return to Cuba, would you go back?"
The case of @yuyudecuba is part of a phenomenon of voluntary return that has gained visibility on social networks during 2025 and 2026, led by emigrants returning to the island primarily motivated by family ties, the ownership of assets such as a house or car, and the emotional exhaustion of life abroad.
Other documented cases include Malena Mendoza, who returned from Costa Rica in May 2026 for the emotional well-being of her five-year-old daughter, and a Cuban woman who left the United States claiming that she had a home, a car, and family in Cuba.
This phenomenon coexists with the massive Cuban migration crisis that shows no signs of stopping: only in the first half of 2025, Brazil received 19,419 asylum requests from Cubans, a 60.8% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Guyana, where @yuyudecuba resided, primarily serves as a transit route to Brazil for Cuban migrants, who can enter the country without a visa, although it also operates as a temporary work destination.
The creator herself had documented her emotional farewell to her family in Cuba in June 2025, before leaving for Guyana, and in May 2026, she spoke about the costs of the immigration process, noting that Cubans need around 5,000 dollars to emigrate.
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