“Feliz año nuevo. Happy New Year my dear.”

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This begins a series of stories from Cuba. I went there with my family a month ago, and it was my third time to do Souls in Cuba. Ther first two were in 2016 and 2017 after the U.S. lifted some of the sanctions and Americans began traveling to the island. It was a period of entrepreneurship and hope for a better future for Cubans, but it didn’t last long. The sanctions were soon reinstated by the American government. Then COVID and an economic crisis hit Cubans hard.

Cubans now say they are under two embargoes: one from the U.S. and the other from their own government. Over the last year, nearly 250,000 Cubans, more than 2 percent of the island’s 11 million population, have migrated to the United States.

Jose, my wonderful Cuban guide and translator, warned me that this trip would be to a different Cuba. He also said, “If you don’t travel to a place, you don’t have a concept of what you are talking about. You have to go to someone to understand them.”

Even under great hardship, the Cuban people are still warm and kind, and the country is still beautiful. Next week, a few will share their stories.