Two more Cuban dissidents flew into Spain Wednesday, celebrating their newfound freedom with the seven who preceded them despite an uncertain future in a nation mired in the European debt crisis.

Some of the Cubans still appeared dazed after arriving with just a few suitcases, or in one case, with no change of clothes. They were accompanied by wives, children, and some older parents, part of 52 activists being released in stages by the Cuban government after being imprisoned in a 2003 crackdown. In all, 20 are expected to land in Spain.

While some Cubans experienced tearful reunions with family members they had not seen in years, others remained worried about those they left behind.

“I have not seen my son since I left Cuba,” said Lester Gonzalez. “I am very tense, very nervous, very emotional.”

Despite mixed emotions over losing their homeland and embracing a new country, the other seven men were beaming as they went for a stroll around the city and saw that their arrival Tuesday was front-page news.

“We have to learn to live in freedom,” said Julio Cesar Galvez, a 66-year-old journalist.

The Cubans said being in Spain was a gift compared to their prisons in communist Cuba. The Spanish government is assisting them to find jobs, but with the nation’s 20 percent unemployment rate, a challenge could be presented.

Galvez wasn’t worried about where he’ll live next or whether he’ll be able to find work in journalism because just being in Spain with his wife and 5-year-old son was a joy.

“After seven years in prison, I can see my boy smiling and playing with his new toy car and looking at all the cars on the street,” Galvez said with a smile.

The Cubans are currently being cared for by the Spanish Red Cross, Spain’s Commission for Help to Refugees, and the Spanish Catholic Migrations Association.

Despite the deal to free them, the Cuban government has long maintained that none are prisoners of conscience. It insists they are mercenaries paid by Washington and supported by anti-Castro exiles in Miami whose only goal was to discredit the Cuban government.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.