Juan Carlos Albarrán

A Cuban in a Cornfield

Introduction

The United States holds the reputation of the world’s largest hegemon. Children and adults in foreign nations look at the United States and see opportunities to make money, to obtain freedom, and to accomplish ‘the American dream.’ For Juan Carlos Albarrán, an associate lecturer in the Global and Intercultural Studies Department at Miami University, growing up in socialist Cuba provided him with a much different perspective of the United States: “we knew the U.S. as an “evil empire” in terms of exploitation of the poor and the accumulation of wealth, the excessive amount of consumption… the narrative of Uncle Sam and political cartoons, always the evil empire.” After living in the U.S. for over 20 years, and starting his family here, he sat down to talk about his life experiences as a Latino man migrating within the United States.

Juan Carlos's first birthday, Cuba, 1970s.

Growing Up in Revolutionary Chinatown

Growing up in Chinatown near Havana, Albarrán recalls his typical day: “An average day for us was going to class…we had our regular periods in school then walked home two or three blocks.” Once home, all the neighborhood kids would play together outside, typically enjoying a game of cuatro esquinas, a variation of foursquare. His mother was a single mom, and he would help her with housework as well. When comparing his upbringing to that of his children, Albarrán notices the differences in their lives, “my kids were born in the U.S., so they have a privilege that I didn’t have. My son has certain rights I didn’t have.” He says their largest differences in upbringing is that in Cuba–both because of its socialist ideology and Latin American culture–society emphasizes more of the collective and not the individual, but in the U.S. and for his children, the individual’s identity is embraced more. Although he is a flexible parent, he does say that there are some things immigrant families value that he expects his children to respect. For example, education is important to him and he wants it to be important for his children as well.

Leaving Cuba

In Cuba, the government had a harsh grip on its citizens, controlling what they saw and what they had access to. For Cuban men, at the age of 18 they are required to serve under the Obligatory Military Service for three years. After his draft ended, that was when he and his brother made the journey to join their mother and stepfather in Tucson, Arizona, through a rare loophole in the tight Cuban emigration restrictions. Juan Carlos’ stepfather was an American-born writer, so the journey was easier than what most Cubans experience: “I joined my family through family reunification which is a type of Visa, my stepfather was a U.S. citizen so I joined them.”

Life in the United States

After arriving in Tucson, Albarrán studied at Northern Arizona University and attended graduate school at the University of Arizona. There, he met his future wife Elena. Elena, who had a “passion for all things Mexico” as Albarrán put it, introduced him to the country, and the two eventually moved to Mexico City. Once arriving back to the U.S. with a new appreciation for Latin American countries outside of Cuba, he and Elena were offered job opportunities to work at Miami University in 2008 in the Latin American Studies program.

From the Southwest to the Midwest

Albarrán stated that he would have loved to stay in Tucson, “but it was very hard to get a job in the institution that you completed your degree from.” His wife had already applied to several universities and institutions nationwide, and for the two of them Miami University seemed like the most appealing. Admitting he did not know much about Southwest Ohio, there were some troubles that crossed his mind, however when a job was offered to both Albarrán and his wife, it was too good to pass up.

Returning to Cuba

Albarrán has not been back to Cuba since 2018. He still has friends who he communicates with, and is very true to his Cuban heritage, however sometimes viewpoints can change. After migrating within the United States, returning to his home country could be a struggle for Albarrán. Would his friends judge him? Would things be different than how he had remembered them? The luxuries found in the U.S. were likely different from those in Cuba. One example of this comes from the article “Old Cars in Cuba: Nurtured but not Loved” which was written by Albarrán’s stepfather, Tom Miller. The article explains the story of Albarrán, his brother, wife, and friends, taking a car ride through Cuba with a handful of bumps along the way.

Internationalizing Life at Miami

For the past 14 years, Albarrán has lived in Oxford, Ohio and started his family here. Albarrán is now the advisor of the Latin American Studies program, the creator and program leader of the Miami University program of the U.S. State Department’s Studies of United States Institutions (SUSI) exchange program for Latin American youth leaders, and the creator of the Cuba in Transition study abroad program at Miami University. “I have

Juan Carlos and classmates in Havana

(From left to right) Cousin Leonel, Grandfather Nico, and Juan Carlos in his Barrio Chino apartment in Havana.

Havana's malecón (sea wall).

Juan Carlos (driver) and brother Leonardo.

Miami University Cuba in Transition study abroad program. Miramar, 2015.

always seen myself more as a mentor. I always wanted to do more things. With SUSI, I can bring kids from Latin America to the U.S. to find opportunities like I did. With the Cuba program, I always wanted to do that, to show people where I grew up.”

Check out his favorite recipe here.