The Cultura Shock I Felt When I Visited Cuba

When I arrived in Havana back in 2016, as the first of my family to go “back” to Cuba (I had never been to the country of my refugee family’s origin but it felt like going back), the first Cubans I encountered were relaxed, but neither smiling nor overly polite. As I passed through customs, I was nervous about handing them my American passport. But the young customs agent didn’t react. He merely asked that I look up at the small camera over his head for a photo. Then he handed me my passport, unstamped.

As I made my way to the main escalator, I heard the uniformed airport staff speaking in the Cuban accent I’d grown up with. They walked on their heels. They sank into their hips. I recognized these people. But still, there was reason for culture shock, which I discuss in the video below produced by the amazing compadres behind Cultura Shock on LATV:

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