“Resolviendo” roughly translates to “making do” or “getting by,” but here, it’s a way of life. Cuba has faced decades of scarcity, and as a result, people have developed incredible resourcefulness. Need to fix something? There’s a creative solution for that. Missing an ingredient? Improvise with whatever’s available.

I’ve learned so much from watching Cubans use their ingenuity to resolve daily challenges. There’s even an art to it – transforming old parts, making repairs with next to nothing, and recycling until the very end. It’s humbling, and it reminds me of how adaptable we can be as human beings if we put our minds to it. Of course, in this case, it’s a sad story culminating from necessity rather than desire, but it still goes to show the power of ingenuity. 

Living between two islands—Cuba and the UK—has completely shifted how I see the world. What I once viewed as scarcity now feels more like an opportunity to get creative. Resolviendo isn’t just about getting by; it’s a whole mindset that’s taught me to approach challenges differently and find possibilities where I might’ve only seen limitations before.

Whether it’s repairing something that seemed beyond saving or whipping up a meal from what’s on hand, the Cuban way of “resolviendo” is a constant reminder of how adaptable and resourceful we can truly be.

I’ll always remember my first lesson with this: my flipflop had broken and I put it in the bin. In my eyes, it was done with, and I’d buy more when I went back to the UK. Ronnie came home and saw my flipflop in the bin. He questioned me, rolled his eyes, took it out the bin and fixed it with a hair bobble. It was as good as new, and this was my first step to an entire mindset shift on overconsumption.