Funny stereotypes Cuban immigrants are familiar with

They seem funny now, after all these years, but let’s face it, it hasn’t always been like this. The constant questions about Cuba’s political situation and Cubans’ life in communism and how hard it was to leave the country were very annoying at some point. Thank God, years have passed, our lives settled down and the change for the better we were hoping for really happened. So we can now remember the strange stereotypes that were once making our blood boil and laugh together:

Constantly smoking cigars
Are the Cuban cigars the finest in the world? Yes. Would people, hypothetically, look more powerful when smoking a cigar? Of course. But that doesn’t mean Cubans are always puffing away, day in, day out!

Cuban expats all come to US on a boat
Really? You know, Cubans do have planes and most expats chose this way to leave the country. There were some desperate situations which were heavily promoted by the media, but this doesn’t mean it’s the supreme truth.

Cuba is dangerous
It’s quite the opposite! According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Cuba is one of the safest countries in the western hemisphere, with only Canada & Chile having a lower homicide rate.

Cubans are uneducated
First of all, Cuba has a 99.8% literacy rate. This means something, right? Secondly, one of the greatest things about Cuba’s socialist system, is that higher education is totally free. Cubans can get their college degree, their master’s degree, and even become a doctor for completely free in Cuba.

All Cuban men wear guayaberas
Yes, even at night Cuban men wear guayaberas! No, they don’t! They do look amazing in guayaberas, but don’t look surprised if you meet a Cuban guy wearing a common T-shirt or something else…

When moving abroad, all Cubans came to Miami
Ha, ha! There is, indeed, a large community of Cuban people living in Miami, but come and think about it, there are everywhere: US, Germany, Spain, Pakistan, Venezuela aso.

What about you? Which was the stereotype you were facing more frequently after leaving Cuba?