A Clue to the Recovery of Authenticity: Bussot, Raul

After we arrived in the United States, I began working for a CATV company. I later worked independently as a television technician, drawing on the skills I had learned in Cuba, and in 1999 I began working for the telephone company AT&T.

In Cuba, I worked in electronics. I had studied electronics there and worked for several years at a computer technical services company. However, the salary I received from the government was not enough to support my family, so I also had to work privately repairing all kinds of electronic equipment.

The situation in Cuba was very difficult when we left. After the Soviet Union collapsed, the supply of all kinds of goods to Cuba fell sharply, and everything—clothing, food, and much more—was scarce. The fundamental problem was not money but the absence of goods, and that was the main reason we left. Conditions improved somewhat after possession of U.S. dollars was decriminalized and people living in the United States were allowed to send money to Cuba, but they did not change very much. Young people still lacked a future and opportunities, and life under an oppressive system that did not allow people to develop as individuals remained very difficult.

It was because of both the economic and political situation. People like me who worked privately and gained access to a little more money or goods were often persecuted and punished for what was called ‘illicit enrichment.’ Fuel shortages also caused frequent power outages, which made it impossible for me to repair electronic equipment. It was extremely difficult to find food, clothing, and shoes for my two sons. All of this led us to decide to leave the island as a family.

Being rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard was what mattered most at that moment. After five days adrift at sea, we finally felt that we had been rescued. It was as though a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders, and I knew that we had actually reached the place we believed we needed to reach. It was the end of our long odyssey at sea.

My life clearly changed after I arrived in the United States. I learned English, improved my working conditions, and was able to work for a good company. Above all, we were able to give our children a good education, which was one of the main reasons we came to this country. My life changed noticeably and improved greatly.

I thought it was a good thing that someone in another country would take the time to share this kind of experience. I thought it could be especially helpful if it reached people in North Korea who suffer under a system similar to Cuba’s and who are considering leaving the country, moving forward in life, and living under a different system. I was happy because I had never imagined that people in a developed country with a completely different culture would take an interest in these events. Until then, I had thought that such stories interested only Cubans.

I would give myself the courage to do it again. Being able to come to the United States was the best thing that happened in my life. I would tell myself to find out a little more in advance so that we could accomplish it in a better way. Even so, I would make the same decision and try again. Trying to escape a country where people have no future is something that must be done.

We arrived in the United States with our two young children and at first lived in my father’s very small home. Later we rented a larger, more comfortable house, the children began attending summer camp, and my husband and I started working. I took an eight-month English course at night and found a job at the school where I studied. I gradually improved my English and changed jobs, then returned to English classes after the children were a little older. I went on to complete a two-year radiology program and began taking X-rays. At a hospital, I learned to perform MRI scans and was still working in that field at the time of the interview.

I studied electronics and computer hardware and worked for a computer repair company. My husband graduated from the same school and worked at the same company; we met there, married, and had two children. Life became more difficult as our family responsibilities and obligations grew. Our living space was so small that after the children were born we had to begin extending the house so that we could live more comfortably.

The situation in Cuba was very difficult in 1993. We had two children, aged three and four, and life was becoming increasingly hard and complicated. Life was fundamentally a matter of survival, and it was difficult to have any aspirations or plans. No matter how much you worked or what you wanted, your life depended entirely on the way the system was designed at the time.

It was not simply an economic need. We wanted to overcome the daily agony of trying to survive, set goals, and accomplish something. But it was nearly impossible to make plans there; I felt like a puppet who was told what to do. We had to choose whether to remain and live like vegetables or leave in search of a better future in which we could make our own plans and decisions.

The gasoline that we expected to carry us all the way to the United States ran out much sooner, leaving us adrift. We had expected to arrive in about fourteen hours, but we did not know how near or far we were from the U.S. coast and thought we were closer to Cuba. Because the Gulf Stream made it difficult to row, at one point we decided to return to Cuba. But our two young children, whom we had promised a better place, strongly objected to going back. We had left for them, so we decided to continue for them, and we moved forward again.

We brought liquid milk and condensed milk for the children, chocolate, canned Spam, sugar, and water. We also prepared clothing to protect them from the sun and cold, including sweaters, hooded jackets, and towels. We had a compass and homemade life jackets, as well as pills and injections in case the children became seasick. Alex, the younger child, became sick often, and his medicine wore off after about six hours. Later he refused the pills, so I had to give him an injection. We used everything we had brought, and it was all very helpful.

Whenever we saw a ship, we shouted, ‘We have children!’ to attract attention. The children heard us say it so many times that they shouted it too. After we were rescued, I also remember Raul Jr. asking whether the electricity went out here. In Cuba, the power was often off when cartoons were broadcast, so the children could not watch them. When we explained what he meant, the rescuers smiled and laughed because that almost never happened in the United States.

At first I was surprised that it was happening. I then felt great joy and admiration that someone from a culture entirely different from ours was interested in what we had experienced. I believe North Korea suffers from oppression, restrictions, and problems similar to those we experienced. I was impressed that people from another culture cared about these realities and wanted to show not only their own reality but also that of other countries like ours.

Being able to give my children a better life, a better future, and a life different from the one they had.

I would say that I should have done it sooner and that I would make the same decision again if necessary. I have never regretted it. We were able to achieve the goals represented by the plans we made and the reasons we left. If I had to do it again, I would.

After arriving in the United States, I remember moving into a new house and attending elementary and middle school. We moved again, and I went to an arts high school, which was a very good experience. I later attended college in Brooklyn, New York, where I met many interesting people. After finishing college, I decided to come to Seoul.

I was only five when I left Cuba, so I do not have many memories. My parents told me that I was a quiet child who liked watching television and drawing. I spent a lot of time playing in the street with friends, my younger brother, and children from nearby homes. At the time, there was not much for children to do in Cuba beyond the everyday things immediately around them.

My memories remain as a few pictures or dreamlike scenes rather than a continuous story. The raft was assembled at night in a small mangrove area beside the sea, not out in the open water. I remember the darkness and dampness, moving the raft to the water, someone slipping on a beach of fairly large stones rather than sand, the smell of gasoline, and smoke from the motor as we left Cuba. At sea, I remember the dog jumping from the raft and the storm. The raft rose and fell in the wind and rain, and Francisco held on to me. We tied ourselves to the raft so that no one would be thrown into the water and covered ourselves with a tarp or towels. I also remember the cold that night, but I do not remember the whole voyage.

I had always wondered about the story of my family leaving Cuba, but I had never directly asked my parents to tell me about it in detail. We rarely spoke about it, and as time passed, everyone became busier and moved farther apart, so the story was gradually left behind. When I met Kim Hongrok and told him my story, he immediately wanted to turn it into a work that could be shown to others. We both felt that the story was worth showing and worth telling again. I thought he had a keen sense of art and of the circumstances in which people of our time live. I participated as a medium for telling the story. I hoped the work would not only present the powerful story of escaping Cuba but also give people an opportunity to look at their own lives.

Knowing where I came from is very important in my life. Leaving Cuba with my family at age five—a place where there was little opportunity or hope—gave us the chance to create our own lives and gave me something special that many people do not have: a perspective and a measure by which I judge everything I do. If my parents had not risked our lives and futures by deciding to leave Cuba, I would not be here, we would not be making this exhibition, and I would not have achieved the things I have. I therefore feel that I should go farther and do more. It is a debt I owe to myself and to my parents.

The first thing I want to communicate is hope: hope that people in circumstances like those in Cuba or North Korea might be able to leave, build their own lives in better conditions, and make their own decisions. At the same time, I hope people in contemporary society who have not faced a life-or-death ordeal beyond the difficulties of daily life will use my story to reflect on their own lives. Spending five days on a raft escaping a communist country without knowing whether we would live or die stays with you for the rest of your life. I hope this story gives hope to people in similar circumstances and becomes a small opportunity for others to improve their own lives.

Living in Seoul for more than a year gave me a great deal of time to observe Korean people. I spent most of my life in Miami, which has a large Cuban population. I felt that both Koreans and Cubans share a strong sense of togetherness and warmth. Friends treat one another like brothers or sisters; someone they have just met can quickly be welcomed as family; and people are willing to offer what they have even to an unfamiliar guest. The two cultures and societies are different, but I saw many similarities in relationships between people. I met wonderful people and had excellent experiences in Korea. Just as leaving Cuba changed my life, my experience in Korea also changed it. I want to leave a positive mark on Korea, just as Korea left a positive mark on my life.

After we arrived in the United States, I was able to have the things I wanted and did not lack anything. I had experiences that many people do not have, and I have lived a very good life.

From what my parents have told me, it was difficult to obtain many basic necessities, including clothing and food. My brother and I were very young, and all children really want to do is watch cartoons on television or play. We mainly played outside and could do only simple things because there was very little to entertain us in Cuba.

I have very few memories of Cuba, but one scene from the raft voyage remains with me. On the third night, we encountered a powerful storm in the middle of the sea. Everything was black, and lightning struck the sea and lit up the surroundings. At that moment, I remember seeing my father—or the silhouette of my father—standing on the raft. I do not know what my life would have been like had I grown up in Cuba. Coming to the United States gave me the opportunity to study what I wanted and to live without restrictions. I believe that was exactly the opportunity my parents intended to give us by bringing us here.

When someone asks what the most interesting thing in my life has been, the first thing that comes to mind is our journey on the raft and how my life changed as a result.

I was overjoyed. There are people who pay attention to difficult subjects, and there are also people living very hard lives under military regimes such as those in Cuba and North Korea. I hoped that people around the world would learn what was really happening and that people living in those countries might one day encounter the exhibition and gain hope to leave their present lives for something better.

Cuba is the country where I was born, and Cuban is my nationality. It shapes many parts of my life, including my point of view on many issues. Coming from Cuba to the United States gave me a more open perspective than people who have not had to endure such difficulties, and I believe that being Cuban gives me the opportunity to see the world more broadly.

I would like to visit Cuba at any time. I still have family there, and I have visited before, spent good times with my family, and seen Cuba for myself. I was especially struck by the architecture and the cars. It felt like traveling back in time to 1951, and it was interesting to see buildings, architecture, and living conditions from the 1950s still present there. Visiting is interesting because it is a world very different from the one in which I live.

My life changed completely, as though night had turned into day. In Cuba, it was difficult to develop independently, and officially I had to work for the government. As I remember it, anyone who did not work for the government could be declared a dangerous person under the so-called ‘dangerousness law’ and imprisoned for up to four years without cause. In the United States, I have been able to run my own business and live without that kind of problem.

It was not very different from the lives of the others who were on the raft. Every morning, you woke up thinking about what you would eat that day and how you could find food for today and tomorrow. Life in Cuba was fundamentally about finding something to eat.

The socialist system was suffocating. When I looked toward the future in Cuba, I felt that there was no future, no present, nothing to live for, and nothing worth fighting for. Life was the same struggle for subsistence every day.

There were many difficult moments on a journey in which we were risking our lives, but I never lost my inner faith that we would arrive. The hardest period, as I remember it, was six to eight hours around dawn on Monday when the sea became rough. The waves were about eight to fifteen feet high. It is easy to say that here and for people to think I am lying, but one has to experience it on a raft: under a cold front and strong winds that I estimated at around thirty knots, the raft kept rising and falling violently.

It is like night and day. The United States is a land of opportunity: the more you prepare, work, and strive, the more your efforts are rewarded. I was able to grow in many ways as a person within society. I am very happy. Although I lived in Cuba for more years, I feel that the emotional and life experiences I have had and enjoyed in the United States have been far richer and better.

We made the raft from irrigation pipes. We obtained pipes about fifteen feet long and eight inches in diameter in the countryside and transported them two at a time by motorcycle to Havana. We welded and sealed the pipes and built the raft in the form of a catamaran. We made it at my house so that it could be completely disassembled and reassembled, preventing the authorities from realizing that a raft was being transported. We carried the disassembled raft to the mangroves, put it back together, fitted two bicycle wheels underneath it, and rolled it to the water.

Reaching the United States with Raul’s family was my third attempt. On the first attempt, I was caught in the act and imprisoned for seventy-two hours, but I learned from the experience. On the second, I was not caught, but the raft began to sink and I had to turn back. On the third, I used what I had learned to build a raft that would not sink. It withstood every situation without a problem, and we reached the United States.

The moment of rescue was the most beautiful moment in the world because we were leaving every bad situation behind, boarding a ship, and knowing that our lives were safe from that moment on. I had believed inwardly that we would arrive, but when the Coast Guard vessels appeared, all doubt finally ended.

It made me think about what we had experienced twenty years earlier alongside the situation in Korea. I saw the contrast between South and North Korea as similar to the contrast between the United States and Cuba. In my view, Cuba was prevented from developing economically because it was blocked internally by its own government, and I believed something similar was happening in North Korea. I thought it was good for Koreans to compare the two systems and consider which one could better develop human potential. In my opinion, capitalism is not perfect, but it offers more possibilities than socialism in terms of freedom and the development of human potential.

After living here for twenty years, if I could speak to my past self, I would say, ‘You have to leave again,’ ‘You have to keep going,’ and ‘You have to arrive.’ I would give myself more courage to move forward.

The beginning was slow because we had to adapt to life here, but then everything began to work out. I started in construction as a carpenter, then drove trucks and made deliveries. We moved to North Carolina, where I worked as an air-conditioning technician for about a year and a half. After returning to Florida, I drove trucks again, and after leaving that job I was hired as an AT&T technician. I was still doing that work at the time of the interview.

From the time I was young, I always wanted to find a different life. Life in Cuba was lived under repression, and there was little to do other than find any possible way to make a living without a future. Then I met Jorge, who traveled with us, and we agreed to build the raft that would bring us here.

Jorge and I built about eighty percent of the raft, and Raul joined us for the final stage. At first, Jorge and I obtained pipes from a government-owned irrigation field and transported them on Jorge’s motorcycle to his home in Santo Suarez. We built almost the entire raft on the roof of Jorge’s house, and after we made contact with Raul, the three of us finished it together.

One night, after we had been floating at sea for four days, we saw lights on the horizon and thought they were the coast, so we began rowing. We took turns about every fifteen minutes and continued from around one, two, or three in the morning until about one the following afternoon. Fishermen on a boat then found us. As their boat approached, our dog, Rommel, jumped into the water as though he wanted to go to the other boat, but he returned to the raft. A large Coast Guard vessel from Miami arrived, followed by a West Palm Beach vessel and a helicopter. About thirty miles offshore, we transferred to the West Palm Beach Coast Guard vessel, which took us to the immigration office in West Palm Beach.

There are two or three memories that always return to me. When the dog jumped into the water, we did not know whether he would return, but he did, and we pulled him back onto the raft. I also remember that as we were about to board the Coast Guard vessel, Raul threw into the sea a compass we had obtained from a military site. When the crew asked what he had thrown, we explained that we had promised to throw the compass into the sea if someone found us there.

It was the repression in Cuba and the lack of a future. That was no way to live. From the time I was thirteen or fourteen, I was always thinking about how to find a better future and give my family better living conditions. I believed that all Cubans thought the same way.

I was very happy to hear that Raul was making an exhibition about our departure from Cuba and the Castro regime. I was glad that someone, in any country, was trying to show the world that leaving a system and escaping repression could lead to a better life.

Our escape was difficult, and Raul and Alejandro were still young children. Even so, if I could go back and say something, I would say that we should do the same thing again.