The Cuban influencer Lisa Garci shared on Instagram her first day in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, after leaving Cuba just a few days ago. The reel, in which she explores the Paseo del Conde, the malecón, and Calle de las Damas, garnered thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.
The 29-year-old content creator, who has over 100,000 followers on Instagram, expressed her immediate astonishment upon encountering something that is scarce in Cuba: electricity.
"Welcome officially to my first day in Santo Domingo. I'm still amazed by everything I'm seeing. I'm going crazy, especially with the lights at night. There's so much light here!" she said in the video.
The contrast with the reality she left behind was a constant theme throughout the reel. Lisa Garci had documented for years on her YouTube channel the blackouts, shortages, and strategies for everyday survival on the island, reasons she herself cited as her motivations for leaving.
While touring the Dominican historic center, the influencer compared Paseo del Conde to Old Havana: "Old Havana, that's you, but this place here is really, really beautiful; it’s too beautiful."
A well-known individual identified as "Wii Wii," introduced as a local expert, accompanied her to take care of first-day tasks: exchanging money and activating a phone line.
The visit to a Dominican supermarket was another revealing moment in the video. Among her purchases, Lisa Garci highlighted products that she describes as nearly impossible to find in Cuba: pesto sauce, grapes, yogurt, grape soda, and tuna.
"It's super complicated to get pesto in Cuba. There were places that had it, but the availability was really limited," he explained while showing his purchases.
Her departure from the island, which she described as “the worst and the best day” of her life, was marked by an emotional farewell at José Martí Airport, where she left behind her family, friends, pets, and her mother. The flight was delayed by approximately four hours.
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