A TikTok user known as @gladys.minov1 has touched many with an emotional video revealing that despite living abroad, she can't stop thinking about Cuba for even a day.
Seated beneath a canopy of trees, she poses a poignant question to fellow Cuban expatriates: How many long for the island and haven't had the chance to return? How many have lost loved ones and are left to mourn in solitude from afar?
"I can't let go of Cuba. I admit it, I can't let go," she confesses in the video. "I spend all my time comparing this to Cuba, always talking about Cuba, because despite its condition, I miss it dearly."
The Struggle of Adjustment
She acknowledges that people around her have commented she seems like "the only Cuban who can't adjust" to life outside the island.
With sincerity, she responds, "It's not that I don't want to fight or adapt. It's been hard because I can't let go of Cuba."
Enduring Loss from a Distance
The most heartbreaking part of her testimony comes when she speaks of loss: "We've lost family members here, unable to see them one last time."
This sorrow—saying goodbye to loved ones from afar without being physically present—is a common burden among Cubans who have emigrated in recent years.
Even the renowned Cuban actor Jorge Cao has faced this pain. In July 2025, he disclosed that he couldn't bid farewell to his daughter who passed away in Cuba, having not set foot there for 15 years: "I couldn't say goodbye, I mourned from a distance."
The Reality of Migratory Grief
This phenomenon is colloquially known as "el gorrión," a term for the migratory grief that many Cubans endure, marked by feelings of helplessness, guilt, and distant mourning.
@gladys.minov1's story is part of a larger narrative, the largest exodus in Cuba's recent history, driven by chronic economic crisis, power outages, and the regime's political repression.
Official data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) indicates over 250,000 Cubans emigrated just in 2024, with the island's population dropping from 11.1 million in 2020 to under 9.7 million by the end of that year.
This massive separation has torn families apart, leaving many Cubans in an emotional limbo: they no longer fully belong to Cuba, nor do they feel entirely part of their new home countries.
Other Cuban women have shared similar sentiments on TikTok. One Cuban in Spain went viral in April, tearfully lamenting her birthday spent away from the island, and those who return after years abroad often describe feeling like strangers in their own homeland.
Some Cubans find that upon returning to the island, something within them has irreversibly changed.
What @gladys.minov1 describes is not an anomaly or a weakness; it's the shared experience of millions who left in search of a better life, carrying Cuba deeply within their hearts, unable to release it.
Understanding the Cuban Diaspora's Emotional Challenges
What is "el gorrión" in the context of Cuban migration?
"El gorrión" refers to the migratory grief experienced by many Cubans who have emigrated, characterized by feelings of helplessness, guilt, and the distress of mourning from afar.
Why are so many Cubans emigrating?
The recent wave of Cuban emigration is largely driven by chronic economic challenges, frequent power outages, and political repression by the regime.
How does living abroad affect Cuban migrants emotionally?
Cuban migrants often experience a deep emotional struggle, feeling torn between their homeland and their new country, leading to a sense of not fully belonging to either.