Deily Salazar Estévez arrived in Paris unplanned, without speaking French and without knowing anyone. Eight years later, she shared a testimony on TikTok that summarizes her story of overcoming challenges as a Cuban emigrant in the French capital.
His original destination was never France. He left Cuba heading to Canada with the intention of crossing the border into the United States to reunite with his family, but a problem with his visa stopped him from entering the northern country.
"I arrived in this city without choosing it, without speaking French, without a support network, without contacts, without knowing what was coming," she recounted in the video published on July 4th.
What followed was not easy. Deily describes a period marked by uncertainty and anguish: “There were very difficult moments, very dark moments, that when I think about them today, I still feel that sensation of stress in my stomach.”
In those toughest moments, she says, she came to feel that there was no way out. However, she made a decision that, according to her, changed everything: not to give up on herself.
"I never abandoned myself, and that —not abandoning myself— was the only thing I needed for everything else to come," she affirmed.
Today, eight years later since that unexpected arrival, the landscape is radically different. Deily works in one of the most demanding districts of Paris, in a job she loves and where, in her own words, she is well valued and well compensated.
She raises a son whom she describes as "strong, healthy, but above all very resilient, who grew up watching his mom build from scratch."
The reflection on these years is not colored by nostalgia, but by pride: "I have peace, I have stability in every sense, and I am very proud because I have more confidence in myself than I ever have in my life."
And he clarifies that this pride does not come from having had an easy journey, but rather the opposite: “Not because everything has been easy, but precisely because it has not been. I arrived in this country with nothing and turned it into my home.”
In other videos on her profile, Deily shares reflections on the life of an immigrant and personal growth. One of her recurring phrases encapsulates her philosophy of integration: "To integrate is not to erase oneself."
His story is part of a broader phenomenon. The Cuban diaspora in France is one of the smallest in Europe, with between 3,000 and 5,000 people according to estimates, partly because the country denies nearly 80% of asylum requests from Cubans, making immigration regularization more challenging.
Trajectories like Deily's —marked by unforeseen destinations and interrupted plans— are common among Cuban emigrants. The odyssey of Cubans arriving through multiple countries reflects the challenges of the migration processes faced by those fleeing the crisis on the island.
The video from Deily concluded with a phrase that sums up everything she experienced: "As long as you don’t give up on yourself, everything will be fine. It’s the only thing I know for sure."
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