By George P. Hassett

When Mario Barros left Cuba for the United States in 1995 he spent one day in Miami. By the next day he was on his way to Somerville, where in the 13 years since, he has made his mark on the community as a teacher, writer and radio host.

Barros got a job teaching at Somerville High a month after coming to the city. He had friends here he had met in Cuba.

“I heard about the Red Sox and the Curse of the Bambino and I wanted to stay,” he said. “Of course, it was the summer and I didn’t know how cold it might get.”

Today, Barros teaches U.S. history at Somerville High School where he likes to tell his students he came from Cuba on a raft (not true – he came on a plane), writes humor columns for Spanish language newspapers Siglo21 and El Mundo and hosts “Lenguaviva” (“Living Language”) on WUNR-AM 1600.

On his radio show Barros reads his latest column and takes calls from listeners. One recent show had Barros asking listeners for weight loss tips. Barros said a caller told him less eating and more sex will do the trick.

“I want my humor to be universal,” Barros said. “We can all laugh at ourselves – our disgraces, our triumphs, our problems. [My humor] also comes from my experiences in living in two worlds – Cuba and the United States.”

Barros’ unique brand of humor may not have been tailor-made for his last world in Cuba. In the 1980s “during a period of opening in Castro’s land” artists and academics were given more freedom in expressing their opinions, he said.

Barros was one of these “humoristas” and founded a comedy troupe with college friends. “We did stuff that was political and insightful. And,” he said, “eventually I got into trouble.”

He didn’t land in jail but Barros said his voice was silenced as he was not allowed to be published. “The government owns everything, all the publishing.”

Within a year he was on his way to the U.S. as a political refugee with only a little cash, his guitar and his family.

Arriving in the U.S. was his final break from a leader he had once had faith in, he said.

“I’m not going to say, ‘Oh I always hated Castro.’ No, I was five years old when he came into power. My father was a worker and the revolution was all I knew,” he said. “And if you were a poor person in the country you owe the revolution a lot. You saw your kids get to go to college and you were treated with respect.

“The problem with the system is it eliminates the middle class and you reach a ceiling. I was a college professor. I had an apartment and my Russian car and that is all I was ever going to have.”

Today, in the U.S. Barros has more. He owns a home and is building an increasingly higher profile as a pundit with something to say. He has a new book out – “El Color No Cae Del Cielo” – a collection of short stories that take place on a suburban train. He wants to use his wit to push listeners and readers into new territory. “Humor can make people realize the truth.”