Returning to Her Cuban Roots: Finding Joy in a Simple Act

A Cuban woman living in Spain, who earns her living by cleaning other people's homes, astonished her followers with a personal revelation. Every time she visits Cuba for a vacation, her first joyful act is cleaning her own house, an experience so fulfilling she struggles to put it into words.

Yaney, known as @yamiley083 on TikTok, shared a video last Saturday that runs just over a minute, showcasing this routine and explaining the deep emotional significance it holds for her.

“There’s something you might not know about me: every time I come back to Cuba, one of the things I enjoy most is cleaning my house,” she admits at the beginning of the video.

The irony isn't lost on her: “I work cleaning houses in Spain, and, though it might sound surprising, I love waking up in Cuba and getting to clean my own place as well.”

The Emotional Connection to Home

She emphasizes that the distinction lies in the emotional weight of her home. “This house holds a very special place in my heart. My parents live here, and whenever I visit, I try to make some changes, fix a few things, and renovate what I can,” she points out.

Yaney fondly describes a ranch-style area at the back of the house, calling it her favorite spot: “We spend a lot of time here as a family, especially since it’s much cooler than inside the house.”

Every improvement she has made to this home, she notes, symbolizes years of hard work: “Behind every little thing I’ve managed to do here, there’s a lot of effort, a lot of work, and a lot of sacrifice.”

In the video description, she humorously adds: “Here I can splash water without worry,” a nod to the high cost of water in Spain, where cleaning freely comes at a price.

A Broader Trend Among Cuban Expatriates

The video taps into a trend that has been growing on social media since 2025: Cuban expatriates returning to the island and dedicating part of their stay to cleaning, renovating, or improving their family homes with money earned abroad.

For Cubans in Spain, a significant number work in domestic services and caregiving, often under challenging conditions. This makes the act of cleaning their own homes in Cuba — with freedom, abundant water, and pride — a deeply personal and rewarding contrast to the necessity-driven work they perform abroad.

Yaney encapsulates what many Cuban expatriates feel with her heartfelt sentiment: “For me, cleaning my house in Cuba is not just about tidying up; it’s about enjoying something I once dreamed of having.”