FIERCe

Student: "I was studying at the university. I had my friends, my girlfriend, I was in school. "

 

Interviewer: "And why did you have to move here?"

 

Student: "Because I didn’t want to continue living there. There’s so many problems. I couldn’t go out in the street, I couldn’t go to clubs. I couldn’t go to buy clothes. I lived with my parents."

 

Interviewer: "Life is so expensive there, right?"

 

Student: "Everything there is paid and charged in dollars. For example, if you go to a store, you pay in dollars. If you want to go out and get something to eat at a restaurant, you buy it in dollars. Whatever you need- cleaning products, whatever- in dollars. Always in dollars, dollars, dollars. But, the people aren’t paid in dollars. So like, your salary isn’t in dollars. Your salary is in bolívares, the currency of Venezuela. And for a month salary in Venezuela it changes like 6 dollars or 8. When.. if you want to go out and eat a burger, it costs 10 dollars. And the salary for a month is 6. That’s how it is. It’s difficult to buy food. 

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So in a store, for example a Walmart- but there it’s a different type of market. In this store there wasn’t food, there wasn’t milk, there wasn’t anything to wash clothes, there wasn’t anything. Now there is. Now there is, but it’s very expensive. And in dollars. And the people don’t make their living in dollars. 

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It’s difficult as an immigrant. Like culturally, mentally, because you’re far away from your family. In Venezuela everything has its cost. So here, you have to pay your rent, you have to work so hard. There in Venezuela there are people who have small businesses that buy food here, and send it to Venezuela to sell there. I can buy food, I can buy some things, I can buy shoes, I can buy clothes, and I send it to Venezuela. It’s what they always do. 

I like Venezuela because I’m with my family and my friends. And because I can go to the beach, I can go to the mountain. Here, no. But in Venezuela I couldn’t buy clothes, here I can. There’s a lot of factors. And here, I’m poor too. No, I’m not poor I don’t think anyone is poor. I believe that poverty comes from the mind. I’m very fortunate because I’m here in the U.S. I don’t have anything bad, I have my two legs, I’m alive, I’m working. I have my family healthy. I’m good. I’m not poor."