A Cuban resident abroad traveled to the island to celebrate her daughter Layla's first birthday, and although she arrived prepared with everything needed for the party, she ended up receiving an unexpected lesson in generosity: family members and guests brought gifts for the little one despite the severe hardships the country is facing.
Daniela Roxana Berrey shared several videos of the celebration on Facebook that garnered hundreds of thousands of views and sparked a debate about the solidarity of Cubans amid the crisis.
Daniela arrived with a piñata, party supplies, and gifts for each of the invited children, aware of how challenging and expensive it is to obtain many products in Cuba.
"I came prepared to celebrate the birthday here, with things for the kids, the piñata, gifts for each child and everything, because I know how much we wished, when I was a child, to go to a birthday party and to receive good gifts," she said.
But after the party, he found something on his bed that he wasn't expecting.
"Let me tell you that I was the one who was surprised," she confessed.
The guests had arrived with little dolls, plush toys, cookies, and juice for Layla. Simple items that, under the current economic conditions in Cuba, Daniela saw as a genuine effort from those who bought them.
"The people here cannot. They made a sacrifice to bring a gift for my daughter. They sacrificed themselves. How much is a little cookie worth? How much is a juice worth? And they came all the way here and arrived with their little gift for my daughter," she expressed with emotion.
"That's how we Cubans are."
In another video, the mother showed what her 12-month-old daughter ate in a day in Cuba: egg, yogurt, and banana for breakfast; chickpeas with rice, meat, and plantain fufú prepared by her grandmothers for lunch; mango juice at her great-grandmother's house; and beef and plantain soup for dinner.
"The truth is that she adapts very well; she has eaten everything like a delight. In short, I haven't had any issues with her eating here," he explained.
For Daniela, the trip also allowed Layla to connect with several generations of her family, as the girl has grandparents and great-grandparents in Cuba.
The images sparked numerous comments about a trait that many associated with the Cuban identity: sharing even when one has little.
"That's how we are as Cubans, we give everything even when we have nothing," commented one person. "Cubans have enormous hearts, always ready to give our best," affirmed another.
Not all reactions were the same. Some users pointed out the huge difference between visiting Cuba with resources obtained from abroad and facing the daily crisis with a Cuban salary.
"I've always said it, for someone coming from abroad with plenty of money, it's certainly a wonder, but for the average Cuban living here, it's a different story," noted an internet user.
In response to comments that blamed the regime for the country's situation, Daniela's profile replied with a phrase that summarized the contrast evident in her videos: "That hasn't been destroyed by the dictatorship yet."
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