Is the grass greener??

One of the Cuban's who I work with and who is a friend, recently returned from a business trip to Edmonton.  He works as a translator and is involved in a large project so he was asked to go along with a senior engineer.  It was the first time the translator had ever left the island.

Before he left he was nervous about what to expect, and how it would all work out.  He sent me an email while he was out and he was having a great time.  He returned this past weekend and is now a bit despondent.  Things are changing here.  Where as once our company was treated differently than other entities in Cuba there has been an increased emphasis on reducing the differences.  This means that benefits that our staff previously had are being eliminated.

It's hard trying to talk somebody off the edge when you know part of what they say is true.  However what they see and imagine living in Canada to be like, likely isn't what they will experience.  They will be isolated from their friends and family.  They will be unable to find gainful employment for a prolonged period of time.  Neither path is easy to take, and in the end only the person making the decision can determine what is right for them.