The Cuban YouTuber Lisandra García, known on social media as Lisa Garci, left Cuba and documented every moment of her departure in a nearly 20-minute vlog published on YouTube.
Lisa described her departure as "the worst and the best day" of her life. Her destination after leaving Havana is Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic.
In the video, the content creator explained the mixed feelings of crossing the threshold of José Martí International Airport.
"On one hand, I say goodbye to my home, my city, my family and friends, to my pets and to my mom, but on the other hand, my life begins anew. I suppose it will be like being reborn in search of a place where my future doesn’t feel so uncertain, aimless, confined, lacking clarity and freedom," he expressed.
The journey was marked by the usual difficulties of leaving Cuba. The flight experienced a delay of approximately four hours, and no one answered the airport information phones from eight in the morning until three in the afternoon.
The farewell at the airport's entrance, where only travelers are allowed, was one of the hardest moments.
The influencer left her dog and cat in Cuba under her mother's care. Regarding her pets, she acknowledged that it will be a matter "that will hurt a lot."
"I have always been the person who comes to this place to say goodbye to people. I have never been the one who leaves," she confessed before boarding the plane.
As the plane took off, while looking out the window, she could see Havana in the distance: "Look at the beautiful city. How is there so much light when my house is in the dark?"
After landing at the Las Américas International Airport, Lisa closed the video with a direct message: "Mom, if you are watching this, I love you very much. I arrived safely."
Lisa Garci has been a content creator on YouTube for about five years, where her channel has surpassed 120,000 subscribers. She also has over 100,000 followers on Instagram.
She is known for portraying daily life in Cuba: from making her own clothes in Havana to showcasing her survival kit for power outages.
Before opting for the Dominican Republic, he spent a year trying to emigrate for self-funded studies in Mexico, but was unsuccessful. He then spent about six months trying to obtain a student visa for Spain, which was denied. He also attempted to emigrate to the United States through humanitarian parole, but was unable to do so.
"Santo Domingo is a lovely city, and I know I'm going to enjoy what I'm going to experience here," said the Cuban to the taxi driver who welcomed her at the airport of her host country.
His departure adds to an exodus that shows no signs of slowing down
Other Cuban content creators have taken the same path in recent months. The YouTuber Katy, from the channel Aprendedora, emigrated to the Dominican Republic in March.
The Cuban YouTuber couple Javi and Zami left the island in November 2025. They have all expressed the same reasons in front of their camera: lack of freedom, blackouts, shortages, and lack of prospects.
Dominican Republic is one of the main destinations for Cuban emigration. Over 1,245 citizens from the island successfully obtained legal residency in that country during 2025, according to official data from the General Directorate of Migration (DGM).
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