A Cuban woman residing in Galicia caught her followers off guard when she disclosed in a TikTok video last Sunday that what she misses most about her homeland isn’t the landscapes or the food.
Liliana Shop, a Cuban content creator living in Galicia, posed a question that resonates with many who have left the island: What is it that you truly miss when you leave Cuba behind?
Her answer was straightforward: “It’s not the beaches, the weather, or even the food. What I miss the most are the spontaneous visits to someone’s home, hearing music at every corner, and the endless conversations with family.”
That social spontaneity, the habit of dropping by unannounced as a gesture of trust and closeness, is precisely what stings the most when you're far away.
Liliana sums it up with a phrase that strikes a familiar chord among the diaspora: “When you emigrate, you realize something very important: you miss the places, but you miss the people even more.”
However, the video doesn’t dwell solely on nostalgia. Liliana also shares an unexpected discovery in her new home: the Galician custom of “let’s have a drink.”
“I used to hear people say, let's have a drink, and I thought it would be a quick meet-up, but hours would pass with leisurely conversations, without glancing at the clock every five minutes,” she recounts.
What initially seemed puzzling eventually felt familiar and comforting: “Here, many times, it’s not about what you’re drinking; it’s about who you’re with.”
This way of savoring free time immediately reminded her of Cuba, and in that parallel, she discovered something precious: “In a world moving so fast, that way of enjoying time seemed beautiful to me and reminded me a lot of Cuba.”
Liliana’s testimony echoes a common theme among Cubans who have relocated to Spain. Another Cuban confessed last Wednesday that “I was happier in Cuba,” referring to the emotional bonds she left behind, not the island’s material conditions.
The paradox is well-known among migrants: life may improve financially abroad, but human connections, street music, and impromptu gatherings remain the most vivid memories.
Another Cuban woman in Galicia shared earlier this year her struggles with adapting to the climate, meal times, and the Galician language, though she also acknowledged similarities in the region’s hospitality.
The Cuban community in Spain was around 200,000 people at the beginning of 2023, with at least 27,000 new registrations recorded in 2025, making the country one of the top destinations for recent Cuban immigration.
Galicia, with its culture of social gatherings and tradition of long meals, has become a place where many Cubans find an unexpected yet familiar echo of their roots.
As Liliana concludes: “Even though our countries are different, there’s something we share: we love to talk, we love to laugh, we love to be surrounded by the people we care about. And those are the things that increasingly make one feel at home.”
Understanding the Emotional Connections of Cuban Emigrants
Why do Cuban emigrants often miss social spontaneity?
Cuban emigrants often miss the spontaneous social interactions, like dropping by a friend's house unannounced, as it's a deeply ingrained cultural practice that signifies trust and closeness.
What parallels did Liliana find between Galician and Cuban social customs?
Liliana found a parallel in the Galician tradition of leisurely gatherings, which remind her of the Cuban way of enjoying time with loved ones without the rush of modern life.