On our journey through life, we sometimes collect a few gems – other people’s stories that stay with us, teach us, and sometimes even change us.
Most of you know that I am a first-generation Italo-Venezuelan American! Many of you also know that the current situation in my mom’s native country of Venezuela is dire. Her countrymen have suffered hyperinflation, power cuts, and extreme shortages of food and medicine causing more than five million Venezuelans to flee their country in recent years.
This is a lovely second-chance story about José and his journey.
On a trip to the Atlanta area to visit my sister two years ago, we were getting ready to call for an Uber to take us to the airport. My brother-in-law, who travels a great deal said to me, “I bet your Uber driver will be Venezuelan!” I must have looked at him strangely and so he explained, “More than half of all the Uber drivers I have met here in Georgia this year have been Venezuelans.”
A few minutes later our Uber driver arrived at my sister’s house and my brother-in-law walked us down the long, steep driveway to the car with our luggage and the first thing he asks the Uber driver is – “Hi, where are you from?” Yep, he was right, the driver proudly said – “Venezuela”. My brother-in-law grinned ear to ear. You see, he and I share a trait as first-born children - we like to be right!
My hubby and I got into the car and I couldn’t help but strike up a conversation. It was a 45-minute drive and I found that José really wanted to tell his story. What I learned was bittersweet. José said he was one of the “lucky ones”. He and his family were able to apply for asylum and get accepted.
Jose, his wife and his 12-year-old son have made a life for themselves in Atlanta, after trying to get a job in Miami and Chicago. It seems that once the refugee population saturates an area, it is much harder to get a job there. Here, he drives for Uber all day, usually long shifts to make ends meet while his wife cleans homes. In his country, he was a well-respected government official, not of the current regime of course, and his wife worked in the judicial department of the state they lived in.
They walked away from everything they owned to find a better life. Their apartment, owned and paid for, sits fully furnished with all their clothing and possessions right where they left them - in Venezuela. He admits they will likely never see any of it again. He explained that when trying to leave the country, the only thing you can sell on the black market without being noticed is gold, so they sold all their jewelry and with that money, they paid for transportation to Miami.
Although it is hard for me to fully understand, this man who left all his worldly possessions behind is so happy. His smile was so telling. He said to us, “Here, I know where my next meal will come from; I know we will have light and running water every day; my son can go to school without being afraid; my wife cannot believe how much food she can find in a supermarket! We are blessed and we are thankful to this country for saving us!”
We arrived at our terminal, and I thanked Jose for sharing his story with me; for making my life richer! I am ever so proud of my country for giving José and his family a second chance and I will carry this gem in my heart and I will share it through my storytelling journey.