Even though my flag and location are indeed the places I come from. I am currently living in the United States, not in Venezuela. I moved to America 2 years ago on July 16, 2018. And its been a pretty surreal experience for me to say the least. Seeing as I can only reflect on how life was for me previously, I thought it would be something worthwhile to share. For those who are not in the know, Venezuela has not been in the best situation. It has been suffering a decline in many aspects in recent years, specifically since 2013. Currently, it is a place filled with oppression, protests, poverty, low quality of life, atrocities, and just outright suffering. I even remember seeing an old woman begging me for a few bucks that I sadly didn't have to offer. As well as seeing people eating from the trash since they were starving. Not to mention, electricity was and still is a major concern. After I moved, there was a nationwide blackout that lasted more than 100 hours. It left many people with their foods becoming rotten, which is obviously a problem when food can be pretty expensive. And the currency of Venezuela, the Bolívar has been a constant victim of hyperinflation. When I left the current currency were Bolívares Fuertes, but now they have been changed to the Bolívar Soberano since the previous currency was worth practically nothing. As for personal experience, I've spent many days dealing with these issues in one form or another. Most of nights I was forced to sleep on humid environments with no hope for any sort of breeze, essentially sweating buckets. Many of the ACs were constantly being broken down due to the unstable electricity and we had no water available to even take a simple bath. My school was not immune to these issues either, since they lacked many resources and the salaries were inadequate, leading many staff to quit. And if the school had no electricity, the whole school day would be canceled. They also lacked water services as well as toilet paper, making bathrooms even more unusable. This was becoming too much, so I had no choice but to leave Venezuela in hopes of a more stable chance to finish my education.
Today, the situation is still pitiful. And I still think about how many of my friends and family are still dealing with these issues. And I'm also saddened when I remember that many of my friends have also left and moved on to different places in the world. Some are in Ireland, others in Spain, as well as Argentina.
I'm overall grateful that I was able to leave, but I always hope that I can one day return to my home and be able to finally feel like I'm safe again.
Thanks for reading. - Gabriel.
Today, the situation is still pitiful. And I still think about how many of my friends and family are still dealing with these issues. And I'm also saddened when I remember that many of my friends have also left and moved on to different places in the world. Some are in Ireland, others in Spain, as well as Argentina.
I'm overall grateful that I was able to leave, but I always hope that I can one day return to my home and be able to finally feel like I'm safe again.
Thanks for reading. - Gabriel.
