Brașov – “I got married to a Romanian journalist who came to Cuba when I was 18,” she said. “We separated after seven years because things didn’t work out between us. But I chose to stay in Brașov. At 18 you are just starting your social life, and that is when I had left Cuba.”

Even though Eymi has been living in Brașov for more than a decade and considers it her home, she nostalgically recalls the diversity and flavours of Cuban dishes.

“I miss food from home,” she continued. 

"In Romania, you have just one type of bananas, we have so many. It's true that fruits taste different. In Cuba we don’t use fertiliser, so I used to make infusion with orange peels, but here I read that because of the preservatives used on them you can't do that."

An important obstacle that she still faces is the weather. Another one is people’s attitudes and mentality; she sees Romanians as being more reserved compared to Cubans.

“It is warmer back home, here it is so much colder. In Romania you have warm people, but in Cuba it is different. We sing on the streets, we dance on the streets, we think differently, we are different.”

Despite the differences – and the cold weather – Eymi enjoys her life in Romania and she is determined to stay in the beautiful city of Brașov for as long as she feels welcomed. She is very passionate about her medical career, which has brought her nothing but job satisfaction and a sense of achievement.

“For the moment, I want to stay here. I am working as a nurse at a dental office and I absolutely love what I do!”

Eymi also moved her mother to Romania from Cuba. “She was too far away and lonely there, so I moved her to Romania to be together – even though she doesn’t like the cold weather here!’’

SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities