News SOS for Journalists Latin America Culture

Photos Photo of the Day Videos

An Old Friend Living for Decades in Sweden Returns to Cuba

I haven’t had to explain much. Reality itself has taken care of making it clear to her that the country she remembers no longer exists.

By Yoani Sanchez (14ymedio)

HAVANA TIMES — After more than two decades in Stockholm, a friend from my teenage years has returned to Havana these days. The death of her grandmother brought her back to an Island where she had spent only a few vacation days since emigrating. Acting as a guide for a Cuban who lives abroad is a bitter task. The first thing is to make it clear that the country they remember no longer exists, that the nation they treasure in their memory disappeared long ago.

During the first few days, my friend enjoyed everything. She told me she felt relieved to be barely able to communicate over the internet and hardly at all on her cellphone, after years of overexposure to social media in Sweden. She savored a mamey fruit and felt like she was in heaven. She tasted chirimoya and went into a trance. But that innocent joy soon came to an end. Reality began to seep in like corrosive acid through the cracks in her illusion.

Empowered by a foreign bank card, my friend decided to go shopping to prepare a family dinner. I accompanied her reluctantly, knowing that frustration is the product most frequently found in those dollar stores. We climbed the hill on Tulipán Street and then descended until we reached La Mariposa. Inside, all the refrigerators were empty. There was no meat, no butter, no sausages, and certainly no fish. My friend pouted like a Swede in distress.

Then, with that tireless energy granted by having eaten well for the last quarter-century, she told me we should go to a market on 26th Street. “I read online that it has Spanish products and is well stocked,” she explained. My face answered........

© Havana Times