I visited Cuba in February 2013 and it changed my life — and I like to think it did so for the better. Interestingly, I expected a completely different country and was compelled to write about it when I got back home. But let me tell you more. I read copious amounts of blogs and travel diaries to prepare myself for the trip to Cuba so I thought I`d go in with a fairly good idea of what to expect. Each and every post I read spoke of marvelous landscapes, pristine beaches, crumbling but charming cities, and welcoming locals. All of it was true, in my experience — except for the locals. I didn`t find them so welcoming. At least, not genuinely so. They only seemed to welcome me as far as they could get something in exchange: money, clothes, pens, soap, you name it. Each and every day in Cuba was a challenge to avoid the scams, to avoid being ripped off, to fight off each and every attempt of people trying to take advantage of me. I usually managed, but it was exhausting and it left a sour taste in my mouth. Once I got back home I felt the urge to write about my experience — not for other sites or papers as I`d often do. This time I was afraid I`d be censored. So I opened my own blog. With zero tech knowledge, zero understanding of online content creation and SEO, I started writing and telling people what they should really expect during a trip to Cuba. I`d put up the occasional post, but continued with my usual job. At the end of the year, my contract as a researcher in international human rights law at the local university ended, and I decided to stop pursuing that career for a while. I packed my bags and left for a long-term trip to Central and South America. I started writing on the blog more consistently and learning, and eventually took my blog full-time, turning it into a career. As of today, I have never looked back and have no regrets. The one thing I`ll do, as soon as I can, is travel to Cuba to say thank you — because it changed my life in a way nothing else has ever done.