Imagine hiding in trees to escape the hunters, salt water slapping your face for seven hours, hoping to reach a new land. A young Cuban man chose freedom. He decided that he would do anything to live a better life. Leaving his family behind and risking his life was only the beginning of his story. His name is Jorge Ricart, and he is now living free in America.
In 1991, Jorge Ricart and a few other men decided they would take the risk to live a better life. During this time in Cuba, living was hard. Hunger spread around the country and all of a sudden everyone had no electricity, water, soap, or energy. Ricart’s parents split up and he was living with his mom. In Cuba, if you did not go to college, you had to join the army. He knew he had no future living in Cuba. With this being said, Ricart started planning his escape when he was just 13-years-old.
Many things had to be planned for him to reach success. “Every day I practiced running, biking, and swimming in the ocean and rivers,” Ricart said. He practiced and planned his journey for two years when he made his first attempt to reach the U.S. base. While he was training, it was crucial to keep the plan a secret, so he would not get in trouble which would lead to jail time.
During his first attempt, he had to swim across numerous roaring rivers to escape the Cuban military. He soon reached the mangroves and proceeded to cover his entire body in mud to stay hidden. He had a feeling inside his stomach that this attempt was not going to be successful. Realizing that he must turn back to escape the military, he decided to go home and revise his initial plans.
In December of 1993, Ricart knew that this was his time to leave for good. “The bad part was having to leave everything behind including my family,” Ricart explained.
He embarked on his journey by walking at night towards a nearby bay. However, on his way to the bay, he was chased by “hunters” and their dogs. Little did Ricart know that these so-called “hunters” were the Cuban military. To escape the dogs, he climbed up a tall tree and stayed there until nightfall.
Once it was nighttime, he proceeded towards the bay. At 9 p.m. a prayer was said and a meal was eaten before starting his swim across the bay. After swimming for a while, one of his friends started screaming because he thought he saw a nearby shark.
After a seven-hour swim, he saw a concrete dock that held a welcome sign with the American flag. “A spotlight shined on me and the American told us to join him,” Ricart explained. “We were there for two weeks living in a jail-like cell. We ate Mac N’ Cheese and broccoli for the first time ever. It was hard for me to know that my starving family was so close and there was an endless supply of food at the base.”
After two weeks, they were flown and dropped off in Miami. “There were many things I didn’t know when I came to the U.S. I had no family, job experience, and no one to tell me what to do,” Ricart said.
He settled down with a few of the men he came with. Living in the United States was harder than he thought. Ricart had no experience, no money, and no family. He eventually got a job working with a friend installing tile in Miami. Although he was unsure of his future, he was sure that coming to the United States was still the best decision he had ever made.
Three years after living in the United States, Ricart met his significant other Angie Hannah in Marathon, Florida. Hannah knew very little Spanish but soon learned more to be able to communicate with her partner. “I helped him get on the right track. I was surprised that he was never offered any help by anyone,” Hannah explained.
Jorge Ricart risked it all to live in a free country. He now has two daughters and is a well-known painter in the Florida Keys. This experience still affects him to this day. One of his daughters, Leta Ricart, saw these effects while growing up. “He always had a random hobby that was something he liked to do when he lived in Cuba. He likes to collect betta fish and birds,” Leta said.
His story truly inspires his daughters to appreciate what they have in life and to look at the bigger picture. There are still Cuban citizens risking it all for the chance of a better life.