The Cuban YouTuber Lisandra García, known on social media as Lisa Garci, left Cuba and documented every moment of her departure in a nearly twenty-minute vlog posted 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 mix of emotions when crossing the door of José Martí airport.
"On one hand, I'm saying goodbye to my home, my city, my family and friends, my pets, and 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, trapped, without clarity or freedom."
The day was marked by the usual difficulties of leaving Cuba. The flight experienced a delay of about 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 door, where only travellers are allowed to enter, was one of the toughest moments of the vlog.
The influencer left her dog and cat in Cuba under the care of her mother. 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," he said before boarding the plane.
As the plane took off, while looking out the window, he could see Havana in the distance: "Look at the beautiful city. How is there so much light if my house is in blackout?"
After landing at Las Américas International Airport, Lisa ended the video with a direct message: "Mom, if you're 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 everyday life in Cuba: from making her own clothes in Havana to showcasing her survival kit for power outages.
Before choosing the Dominican Republic, he spent a year trying to emigrate to pursue self-funded studies in Mexico without success. Then he spent about six months seeking a student visa for Spain, which was denied. He also attempted to emigrate to the United States through humanitarian parole, but he was unsuccessful.
"Santo Domingo is a beautiful city, and I know I’m going to enjoy what I 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 2026.
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, power outages, shortages, and absence of prospects.
Dominican Republic is one of the main destinations for Cuban emigration. Over 1,245 citizens of the island managed to obtain legal residency in that country during 2025, according to official data from the General Directorate of Migration (DGM).
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