The story of two doctors in love, and the challenges they face

Jul 26, 2020 Features / Columnists, News

From Cuba to Guyana with Love….

“I live and I breathe medicine; I have all the necessary qualifications, and I sent out all the relevant documents to the Ministry of Health, but still I’m without a job. Every time I present one document, they would ask for another one, and that is how it’s been going on for the past year.” – Dr. Elber Oreste Borrego Almaguer

By Enid Joaquin

Dr. Elber Oreste Borrego Almaguer and Dr. Delleana Anderson-Borrego Almaguer, are a husband and wife team, whose story of romance, adventure, hard work and challenges, capture the essence of a classic love story that stretched from Cuba to Guyana.

Dr. Elber Oreste Borrego Almaguer and his wife Dr. Delleana

Dr. Borrego Almaguer is a Cuba-born, naturalized Guyanese, while his wife, Dr. Delleana, is a Guyanese by birth, from the mining town of Linden.
He is an unemployed General Surgery Assistant Instructor, while she is a General Medical Officer (GMO) attached to the Linden Hospital Complex.
Both studied medicine in Cuba, and graduated in 2018. They were later married twice – first in Cuba, and then again in Guyana. Dr. Delleana confessed recently that in Cuba, they had two ceremonies, one at her father-in-law’s and the other at her mother-in-law’s because her husband’s parents are divorced, and they wanted to please both on their own turf.
Dr. Delleana returned to Guyana with her husband, soon after their first wedding. It was a blissful time, and the young couple was optimistic that life would be good.
“When we came here, I brought some money to upkeep us, until we start to work. We never imagined that the process for me to find a job would take so long,” Dr. Borrego Almaguer lamented.
He confessed that the money was soon used up, and he was still not able to secure a job, in the health sector.
In desperation, he sought employment with James and Sons Supermarket on Republic Avenue in Linden.
He did what was required, even cleaning the floor, and was very happy because he always thought that it was just a “provisional” job.
However, he was forced to quit, after only three months, because of the many taunts and insults, from insensitive customers.
“I feel like a prisoner at home, because without my citizenship I couldn’t get a job with the government, I could only work in a supermarket. But because of what happened while I was there, I decided to adapt my home, as my prison,” he sadly confessed.

The couple on their wedding days.

Meanwhile, his wife had gained employment as a general practitioner at the Linden Hospital Complex.
It is a pill, that is very hard for her husband to swallow, as he feels that he should be the one, providing for them.
“I live and I breathe medicine; I have all the necessary qualifications, and I sent out all the relevant documents to the Ministry of Health, but still I’m without a job. Every time I present one document, they would ask for another one, and that is how it’s been going on for the past year,” he confided.
Because of this, he lamented “I’m presently relegated to being a house husband. I stay home and do the house work, while my wife goes to work!”
Dr. Borrego Almaguer related that he feels very frustrated, because his wife has to work so hard. He further explained, that had he been working, there would not be so much pressure on her.
However, though frustrated as well, Dr. Delleana takes everything in stride, as she loves her husband very much.
“I feel for him, because I know that he so wants to take care of his responsibilities, but he cannot do it, because he’s not working.”
She reminisced, on how well he took care of her in Cuba, and even assisted with her studies.
Dr. Borrego Almaguer also reflected on those early days of courtship,
“In Cuba, my wife studied at a University, in another province, I was in Havana and she was in Sancti Spiritus…. that’s five hours by bus. So we planned our free time and visited each other every weekend.”
He recalled too that moving to Guyana was seen as a great move since “life is hard in Cuba, with the many sanctions imposed on the country. Every day it is a battle to survive, so I bought all the basic necessities for my wife (girlfriend at the time). When I went to visit her I took everything for her, and that’s normal for me, even if I don’t have anything for me, I gave her everything.”
TABLES TURNED
Now in Guyana, the tables have turned, and it is Dr. Delleana that has to take care of her husband.
In an emotional tone, she related, “people look at me, and some of them say, I’m taking care of a foreigner, because obviously, I’m the one working and so I take care of the bills, the car and everything.”
But that does not bother Dr. Delleana, who reminisced on the good times when her husband used to pamper her and take her to the most prestigious and popular places in Cuba.
Those times are forever etched in her memory.
“We used to travel for hours every weekend to be with each other. Either one of us would make the trip.”
She pointed out that on those weekends, her husband took her to the most “elegant” events, such as ballets, the best restaurants and hotels.
Even his mother, who Dr. Delleana says, treats her like her own daughter, also joined in spoiling and pampering her.
She shared that her husband fell head over heels in love with her, and sometimes even ditched a few classes, just to spend time with her.
He would also go without things he needed just so he could provide for her.
“He would rather go hungry, so that I could eat…I even remember one time when I needed some personal stuff, you know what I mean, he went out and got them for me.”
Here in Guyana, he wants to do the same, Dr. Delleana maintained, but without a job, this seems near impossible.
“In Cuba, he had taken really good care of me, and so I know that he enjoys taking care of his responsibilities. So now that he’s here, with all his qualifications and no job; and I’m not ashamed to say he is much more intelligent than I am, so it is frustrating…sometimes whenever I get angry, he thinks its because he’s not working.”
This makes it difficult for Dr. Delleana, who never wants her husband to feel emasculated, because he’s unemployed.
GREATEST WISH
Dr. Borrego Almaguer said that his greatest wish is to help people, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic. He said too that he is even willing to offer his services voluntarily, until he can gain official employment with the Ministry of Public Health.
“For every new trained doctor, a country has to invest thousands of dollars, and I’m right here… they didn’t invest anything in me, so giving me a job is a great deal for the government, because they never invested in me!”
Although he misses Cuba a lot, and his family, especially his mother, Dr. Borrego Almaguer said that he feels very comfortable here. “Guyana is my home now, I’m a Cuban Guyanese!
I loved this country even before I came here, because my wife always talked about Guyana…the culture, food and so, but after I arrived at the Cheddi Jagan Airport, I fell in love with everything for myself.”
“I love Linden, I feel myself as a Lindener. When I go out of the area, for example to Berbice, to visit my cousin there, I always miss Linden, and I’m eager to return home,” he shared.
CULTURE
Dr. Borrego Almaguer has adapted pretty well to the Guyanese way of life, but there is one aspect of the local culture, that he does not understand.
To illustrate his point, he said that it is common in Cuba, to greet with hugs and kisses, as there’s a strong spiritual connection, between family, and even friends.
He, however, observed, that things are much different here, and that most people are not very “open” and seem very reluctant to express emotions. According to him, not a day goes by without him speaking to his mother. He always tells her, “I love you Mommy”.
“I never hide my feelings, I’m a transparent person, and sometimes that puts me in trouble, but I prefer it that way.”
“My philosophy of life is ‘if you feel it, tell it’, that’s what I always do, if I find something which I don’t like, I just communicate my disagreement, but if I’m feeling happy and lovely, I express my feelings as well! I’m always hugging my wife!” he said.
He added, “We are not a perfect couple, sometimes we have arguments because we have different points of view, but at the end of the day, we resolve every issue, because we love each other!”
Dr. Delleana says that her husband has taught her to be forgiving, and so presently, she finds it easier to forgive, and get along better with others, despite differences.
SMITTEN
The flames of love ignited, after Dr. Borrego Almaguer, saw a picture of Delleana Anderson on Facebook.
Smitten by her beauty, he started making enquiries about her. He said that they eventually met at church in Cuba. The rest, as they say, is history!
It is a love story, not without its challenges, but one which could be further consolidated, if the husband is afforded the opportunity to work and provide for his wife, the way it was intended that man should do from creation.
Almost a fortnight ago, Dr. Borrego Almaguer was granted his Guyanese citizenship and shortly after he posted an article about moves being made for a vaccine for the Coronavirus (https://guyanasouthamerica.gy/news/2020/07/21/the-upcoming-coronavirus-vaccine-by-dr-elber-almaguer/). He now eagerly awaits his dream job as a medical practitioner within the local health sector not only to help the nation combat the threat of the dreaded disease, but to eventually fully support the woman he fell in love with and today calls his wife.