Cuban expatriates in America, including many who risked their lives to escape the communist island, are torn about whether to return after Havana and Washington formally re-establish ties next year. US President Barack Obama last week announced the normalisation of relations with Cuba, which were severed in 1961.
The surprise move, which clears the way for bilateral trade and normal diplomatic relations, also offers unexpected new options for Cuban-American exiles, who once believed that choosing one of the two countries meant forever closing the option of living in the other. Marisol Camarota said she wouldn't think twice about returning to live in her homeland - provided she can make a living comparable to what she earns in the United States.
By contrast, Hector Martinez - who fled Cuba years ago on a rickety raft - wouldn't dream of ever setting foot in Cuba again. The historic thaw between Havana and Washington has led to soul-searching among Cubans who abandoned the island for a better life in the United States. Miami is home to the largest population of Cuban emigres and their descendants, numbering some one million people - about half the entire exile population. - 'My heart is divided' -
Many, like Camarota, say the sudden diplomatic changes have left them torn. Three years after arriving in the United States, "my heart is divided," she said. "I'd like to be there, and I'd want to be here," said the 40-year old, who works as a florist in Miami. The decision for Camarota is complicated by the fact that her two children, ages eight and 14, are still on the island and being raised by relatives. She also misses the "solidarity" that residents on the island show for one another, especially when contrasted with Americans' trademark individualism, which sometimes leaves her feeling isolated and a little homesick.