SU_A_13

[i] Hello!
[r] Hello!
[i] What is your name? Who are you?
[r] My name is [name]. I was born in Venezuela on August 15, 1997, specifically in Puerto Ordaz. My parents are Carlos Guevara and Marisa Andrade. I have two brothers. My sister’s name is [name] and my brother is [name]. I think it all started in 2013, when Chávez was in power. The protests started. I started going out with my family, with my parents, to the protests. And also with my boyfriend. At that time we were boyfriends. We were boyfriends.
[i] In 2013?
[r] In 2013, yes.
[i] How old were you in 2013?
[r] 13? 14. 14 years.
[i] And you were still in school?
[r] Yes, I was just finishing my fourth year.
[i] And at that time you were going out with your parents and your family?
[r] Yes, I went out with my father and my family to the protests. Any march.
[i] And why did your parents go out? What did your parents do in Venezuela at that time?
[r] They worked. My father is a teacher and my mother was a civil servant. She is currently retired. And I think they went out because they saw what many Venezuelans, because not all, they realized that things were not going well in the country. So I think my parents wanted, and my family wanted to go out. It was to look for a better future for us, for their children.
[i] Are you the only one who is out of Venezuela now?
[r] Currently, yes. And my brothers, my two brothers are living in Venezuela.
[i] And how are they?
[r] Well, my brother right now is finishing school. He is studying law. And my brother is doing a postgraduate degree in anesthesiology.
[i] And when you think about Venezuela, when you think about your family, what are the most vivid memories you have? What do you miss the most about your brothers, your fathers, your city?
[r] I think being all together. Because my family is very united. And we are very big. On my mother’s side are my uncles, and on my father’s side too. And everyone gets together. And I think that makes us bigger. And we are always together every weekend. And I think that’s what I miss the most. Because I can be with them and be myself. I don’t know. They are memories that will never come back.
[i] And do you always talk to them?
[r] Yes. I talk to them very often. I talk to them almost every day.
[i] And what did you do in Venezuela before leaving, [name]?
[r] Well, I studied computer science at a university called UNED. University of Guayana. I stayed there until the third semester. And from there I decided to leave the country.
[i] What makes you decide to leave the country?
[r] Well, I think most of all it was when my boyfriend left the country. He always kept to me that you have to leave. You can’t stay there. Because there is no future. There is no… For what you want to do. Because there is at least an engineer. He practically works as a security guard. I mean, he doesn’t exercise his profession. So my boyfriend was always telling me that. He was always reminding me that I shouldn’t think about staying there because I’m not going to do anything. Besides, the situation in Venezuela is not safe at all. Eh… If I left, I at least participated in a movement of my university that I was always in a resistance movement. Every time there was a march, a protest, I was always there with that movement. And I always left. And it didn’t always end well. Because the military was always there. They threw tear gas bombs at us. Some were imprisoned. Many of my friends were imprisoned. Many of my friends were mistreated psychologically, like mentally.
[i] And who were part of that movement in your university? How do they get together? Were they all students?
[r] Yes, we were all students.
[i] And how do they decide to get together?
[r] I think it’s more than anything. There will always be a leader in the group. There will always be a leader. And that leader is the one that motivates us. Because we have the same ideals. And we want something better for the country. So… I think he got us together. And we all agreed. And we started, first, within our university, to make peaceful protests. Eh… Either by putting up posters. Eh… Singing some anthem inside the university. Or anything. We always started from inside the university. And then we went outside the university. Doing resistance and everything.
[i] What did the posters say, for example? What were the messages of your group?
[r] At least, no more dictatorship. No more death. Eh… Eh… Freedom for the students. Freedom for the political prisoners.
[i] And was it easy to go to… I mean… To go to the university? Was it possible to study? To get home?
[r] No. No. At least in my situation, I studied at a public university. No… On the other hand, there are many people who study at private universities. They don’t have the same problems as public universities. At public universities, you don’t have a dining room. Eh… All the people move on buses. And… There are no buses. There are no teachers. At least for my career, there was no teacher for mathematics, which is something very important. Eh… Programming, which is something super essential for my career. There was nothing like that. There were no teachers at all. And… I couldn’t finish my semester. I mean… In each semester, I could never finish a subject. Because I had to wait for them to look for a teacher and…
[i] And why weren’t there teachers?
[r] Because… Because many teachers decide to leave the country. Or… More… Rather, they don’t have the resources to go to university. At least in my case, I had teachers who couldn’t afford a taxi. They couldn’t afford a bus. And… They couldn’t go to university. So they decided to retire. So…
[i] And what about private universities? If… It was…
[r] A lot of them do have that opportunity, but… The same thing happens. The same thing happens. Because in the whole country, the same thing happens. It’s… Something that happens to all people.
[i] How would you describe the situation of your country at that time, before leaving?
[r] Before leaving the country? Bad. Horrible. I think. I mean… I never imagined that the country would be like that. To get there like that. It was something… I don’t know.
[i] What do you mean when you say never imagined? For example, what was a normal day like?
[r] A normal day was… Going out with my friends. Obviously going to study. Stopping, going to study. And… Then… Talking with my friends. Being able to go out with my friends to the street. With no worries. On the other hand… Normally… Currently… Everything you’re thinking of right now is… I don’t have money, I don’t have clothes, I don’t have this, I don’t have to study, there are no teachers, I don’t have to pay this, to pay for a course, if you want to do a course, whether it’s English or a course that benefits you well you simply don’t have anything to eat, you don’t have medicine, you don’t have anything because you practically don’t have anything at least my grandparents are elderly people and they are people who suffer from depression and there you can’t find anything They can’t do anything, so every day all Venezuelans spend it thinking about what I’m going to do and how I’m going to get this. What do I have to do? There is nothing.
[i] Is it because the government controls the medicines, they control everything?
[r] Everything, everything, because there is nothing, there is absolutely nothing. My grandmother has not been able to get her vaccine for abstinence for years. My grandfather, we get the pills for the heart because my father sometimes has some contact. If you don’t have any contact, you don’t do anything, you practically die.
[i] Contact with whom?
[r] Contact, whether it is with someone who can get that pill or can get some food, something like that.
[i] From outside or?
[r] Whether it is outside or whether it is inside the country. Contact? Contact with the government suddenly? No, contact with the government, everyone with the government.
[i] And the people, how do people live? For example, do your parents work? Both?
[r] My dad is currently working, my mom is retired, but my mom, her day is based on going to make a queue to find food to take home. Or be aware if someone in my family needs some medicine. Or someone from one of her acquaintances needs medicine or food. That is her day to day. I mean, she is based on her day to day in just taking food or just giving the best to my brother.
[i] And where does your mom get the food, for example?
[r] There are not many supermarkets where you can get it, but she can spend up to 15 hours in a queue and she doesn’t get it. And she doesn’t take anything.
[i] Queues in stores, in supermarkets?
[r] Queues in supermarkets and at the end of the day she doesn’t take anything because it has already happened to her. She makes queues of 8 hours, 9 hours to buy bread. And when she arrives, when it is her turn, there is no bread anymore. It happens, that usually happens there in Venezuela.
[i] And your dad is working?
[r] My dad is also working, but he also has the same interests. He also spends his time thinking about what to look for, what to eat, if there is a problem for the car, everything, there are many problems.
[i] People worry about surviving day to day. And the money your father earns is enough to…
[r] The salary of a teacher is very low, very low for someone who earns by being vigilant, something like that. Let’s say so. An example. There you with the salary you can’t… With a salary a month you can’t even buy an egg carton. Or a bread, you can’t. Nothing else can reach you for a kilo of cheese.
[i] And how do people survive?
[r] Well… I think that… I don’t know.
[i] Your parents are, I imagine, in opposition to the government.
[r] Yes. Yes, there are many people who survive looking in the trash. Because they have no other option. There are people who… Practically, my family, for my part, is a middle-class family. But there are people who are of a very, very low class. And right now in Venezuela all the people are of a low class. Because they have nothing. And practically what… The only option they have is to look in the trash, in the remains. That’s what they can do. And how? I think it’s how they survive. And there are people who only survive eating a banana, aloe, yucca. Something that is not good for the soul. I mean, there is no… There is no… Sometimes there are no carbohydrates, there is nothing. There is nothing you can do.
[i] And the people who do support the Maduro government live in another way, suddenly?
[r] There are people who do, but there are people who don’t. Because there are people who are with the government because they are plugged in. But there are people who are with the government because they are from the heart. But actually… I don’t know how to say it. I don’t know what they have in mind. because they live badly and they say that they live well, but they do not have their minds washed, I think.
[i] And that it is for them to live well, because it covers their needs.
[r] Yes, but what exists in Venezuela is the bachaqueo. The bachaqueo is that you buy something, but you resell it twice or triple what you have paid for that product. So there are many people who also live from that, because they give profit to the product they are buying and selling.
[i] So the student movement.
[r] Yes, we call ourselves the student movement. And we had more than anything conflicts with the people who were with the government. Who were members of the university, who were inside the university. And there were always fights, if we put any poster or wanted to express ourselves, we could not. Sometimes, for me, with a group of friends, they threatened me with weapons and everything inside the university.
[i] Students?
[r] Yes, students. The same students inside the university took out the weapons and threatened us, because we were in the university. We were shouting slogans inside the university. And I was also present, in the presence of a fight inside the university, for the same reasons. For the differences, the differences that we had, everything. And it was very difficult. At least for me, sometimes I was afraid to go to university, because once they threatened me with a weapon, I was already afraid to go to university. Because every time I saw that group of people who threatened me with a group of friends, they always made us do things again. So it was like a constant fear. And it was every day. It was not that I went to university once a week or twice a week. It was every day. And for me it was very difficult, because I wanted to express myself, I wanted to say my ideas. But I was afraid. And that’s what happens in Venezuela. That many Venezuelans are afraid. Afraid to speak, afraid to act. And I don’t know, that…
[i] And those guys who threatened you, were they guys you knew, university students?
[r] Yes, I knew them, I knew them. They were not my friends, but they were companions that I knew, that I had the opportunity to talk to them at some point. Yes, it happened, but then that was left in the past.
[i] And those people were also going to study?
[r] Yes, they were university students.
[i] Well, that’s a pretty dangerous situation. And I know, for example, that some groups of students also went out to protest on the street. Have you done that too?
[r] Yes, we… At least in my movement, we always had days when we protested inside the university, but there were also days when we protested outside the university. We closed the university and there was no way to enter the university, we didn’t even let the teachers in, because the people were… Many Venezuelans were dying outside and the university wanted to give classes, the university wanted to give everything. We wanted to study, but we thought, One of our classmates who studies with us just got arrested Because three of my friends who studied with me got arrested So, why do we have to study? It was my idea, why do we have to study if my classmate is in jail? What are we going to do? What are we going to do in that situation? We can’t leave it there We had to put pressure We always went to the police station to put pressure We were always there carrying food and clothes. Because they didn’t give us anything They had us in a cell. They practically raped a lot of people. They tortured a lot of people. Psychologically, but they tortured them. Well, that… A friend of mine was tortured Inside a police tank They tied her up With their hands. They put their hands behind them. And their feet too. And they tied them all up like a ball. A ball. What’s the name of the ball? Well, a ball. And they started to hit them on the head.
[i] What do you mean?
[r] Hitting them with the helmet on the head They started to hit them And they told them to shut up. And if they didn’t shut up They were going to rape them. They were going to put their fingers in them That all this. They tortured them practically
[i] Did they find them showing up on the streets?
[r] Yes, inside… They were outside the University. And outside the University They grabbed them And. They took them away Without reason, without any reason Without anything They only took you because you were a student. Many of my friends were arrested. I could have been one of them, but it was not the occasion. But you were just walking and they caught you. Because they saw you as a student and wanted to arrest you to put you in prison.
[i] And these people who were imprisoned, did they come out free?
[r] Yes, they came out free because they had to go every week to the police station to know that they were inside the country. They could not leave the country. It was forbidden for them to leave the country because it was something that they had to do.
[i] And with all that? With all these risks, do the students still come out to protest?
[r] Yes, they do. Because many people have faith that obviously Venezuela will come out free. And they want to continue shouting their ideals. And they want to show not only the country but the whole world what is happening in Venezuela.
[i] But that is not seen.
[r] It is not seen, but we want to see it. Because what is happening in Venezuela is something that affects us all. And we are human. I mean, not because it is not a war, it does not mean that we are not suffering. Because we are suffering. I mean, many babies there die from malnutrition. Moms leave their newborn babies because they have no way to give them food. They have no way to buy milk. Because milk is no longer available. And if it is available, it is expensive. They do not have a way to buy, they do not have a way to give them. They leave them in a cardboard box thrown at the babies. The old ones are also malnourished because they do not have their pensions. Their pensions do not reach them. There is nothing. They are dying.
[i] And the people who decide? The people who decide to flee on foot. For example, these people who are seen crossing the border of Colombia walking.
[r] I say that they are people of values. Because it is something that you have to risk a lot. Because there are problems on the borders, on the guerrillas, all that. All those are problems and risks that the Venezuelan suffers every day. And in every highway there will always be someone who is going to rob you. Always, always.
[i] And you tell me how, at what time did you leave? How did you leave? What did you have to do to get out? What was your route?
[r] Well, I left because my boyfriend decided to take me out of the country. Because… I was already getting into… He was already realizing that I was getting into the movement a lot. And I was, yes, I was suffering a lot of risks. And I know that I was suffering a lot of risks. Because, the truth is, I didn’t care if I didn’t study. Or if I went to university. Or if I had to do something in my day to day. Because I just thought about going out to protest. To go out to defend my colleagues who were in prison. And… Take them food, this. And it was a constant day. I mean, it was constant. And… Nothing, I… He decided… He said that it was the time that I would come here. He was here in Belgium. And… I accepted. And… I think it was a good opportunity for me. I accepted also because I wanted to leave the country. Because I was also seeing that I was wasting my time. I wanted to do something with my life. So I decided to come. He bought me the ticket. And… That’s why I’m here. Because if not, with the money that… The salary that is earned there. I couldn’t… I couldn’t buy the ticket. Because you can’t. It’s very difficult to get a ticket there. And less for Europe.
[i] And what did you need to be able to leave? Can people in Venezuela leave normally? Without a problem? Or…
[r] Look. You need all the papers. But everything, for everything. For you to leave. All your papers. Your birth certificates. Your school papers. From the university. Everything is very difficult to get there. At least I had to go… To another… To another town. To another town. To another town. To get my… My birth certificates. My grades. Things that didn’t give me. I was there for a month or more… I think more than two months. Or more. More, more. Going there just to get my birth certificate. To get my certificate. Which is something of mine. Which is my right. It’s to get… I don’t know. I see it like that. Yes. I mean… There were more than months… Months trying to get a birth certificate. My birth certificate. My school grades. I had to wait more than three months to get it. To get it. And the… The… The grades at the university… They didn’t want to give them to me. They didn’t… They didn’t let me study them. I didn’t do anything with them. Because… No… The… The government practically doesn’t give you the will. So to speak. Doesn’t give you the will. To give you the grades. At least at my university. I didn’t do anything with them. the director is Chavista, she is with the government, so she did not give anything to anyone, there she did not want to sign it, she did not want to do anything.
[i] And the passport, did you already have a passport or did you have to get one?
[r] Fortunately I did have my passport, but many Venezuelans did not have it, I had my passport valid, I had it valid when he decided to buy the ticket, but many Venezuelans do not have it and have to pay to get your passport. You have to pay and apart from that, you have to wait for months to get an answer to accept you, if they are going to accept it or not. And then you have to wait for another few months for them to give it to you. And the cost to pay the passport is super super high.
[i] So… So you had your passport, you had your passport, and do Venezuelans need a visa to travel to Belgium?
[r] To travel to Belgium, no, but I needed a permit or something that would tell me that I was going to be staying here in a hotel or an invitation letter.
[i] So you had your passport, your passport, your invitation letter, and you could go?
[r] And I couldn’t go anymore, yes, exactly.
[i] And how was that moment? What do you remember?
[r] Well, something very frustrating. I mean, it was the first time that I traveled alone, because I came alone, and it was something super frustrating for me, because it was my first time traveling alone, and besides, the military didn’t want to leave me alone. Because, simply, I was a student, they saw in my face that I was a student, obviously, young, a young woman who wanted to leave the country, and that they wanted to ask me for something in exchange, I mean, money, because they took me off the plane and everything.
[i] They took you off the plane?
[r] Yes, I was already on the plane.
[i] By yourself?
[r] Yes, by myself. They took me. And they took me… Yes. They took me to where the suitcases were placed and they made me open all my suitcases. They made me open all the things that I had inside my suitcase. They didn’t care if it was new or old, they didn’t care about anything. They made me empty all my suitcase, check all my suitcase, and then, inside. You gave me everything yourself, I mean…
[i] And what were you looking for?
[r] Well, actually, things of value. That’s what I say. Or things that they could… they could steal, that they could ask you. They are like, well, give me this, give me this, give it to me and we leave it like this. Or food, because they take your food, they say this cannot happen, this is going to happen, but in reality it can happen, but they don’t want to, they don’t want to take it away from you. And they asked me for money, for me to I was here and I came with 300 dollars because not even euros because I could not get euros I went with 300 euros here and they wanted to ask me for everything, they wanted to take everything off, they wanted to ask me for the soda as they say in Venezuela for a soda and it was very frustrating because I could not I couldn’t lose everything I had, the only thing I had, they wanted to take it from me. And then I left them there, I didn’t give them anything because I didn’t want to give them anything.
[i] What did you tell them? What did you do?
[r] Well, I think I went crazy, I went crazy not to give them anything because I had nothing. And what would I eat? I was going to stay for days… I was not going to go directly to Belgium, I was going to stay for days in an airport or elsewhere, what I was going to eat, what i was going to drink, I wasn’t going to have money for anything. So I told you that I didn’t have, I couldn’t.
[i] Maybe they let you go.
[r] Yes, but I ran with that luck, because not many Venezuelans are allowed to leave without giving anything. Many Venezuelans have to give everything. They even take away their food, they don’t even have to give it to them, they take it away because they steal it, they steal it. All Venezuelans who pass by, who leave, they steal everything. And if you enter Venezuela, they will also steal from you. That this cannot happen here, this cannot happen here, and they are going to take it away from you.
[i] Who went to leave you at the airport? How was the farewell with your family?
[r] My family, my parents. It was hard. I think it’s the first time I’ve separated from my parents like this. It’s a horrible feeling. More than anything, I also feel it because I’m not the only one who is going through it. Because many Venezuelans, and mostly young people my age, are going through it. Because they have to go to another country. In search of a future for them. And that your family stays there. And that they are living what they are living. That all that is happening there and you are here well. It’s like sometimes it gives you a little remorse. It’s a little weird.
[i] And what plans do your parents have?
[r] Well… My parents can’t say much because my grandparents live there. And… Thank you. And… They practically think they are my grandparents. They don’t want to leave my grandparents alone. And my grandparents are very old. And they don’t want to leave there. I mean, they want to, but they are old. So they prefer to stay there.
[i] How many grandparents have you had? How old are your grandparents?
[r] My grandfather is 84 and my grandmother is 88, I think.
[i] And your sisters, [name]?
[r] My sister, I have a sister and a brother. My sister is studying Fiscal Sciences and what happens is that she thinks first, she wants to finish, to get a career because she is just finishing and she wants to finish that to be able to decide to go to another place with a title because it is something difficult to get a title in another country that is not your country. But what happens is that there are many parents at the university where we… She studies at the same university as me It is public and that is what happens at the universities there. They all have a term and for anything there will always be a term. And if there is no term, there are no teachers, there is nothing, as I said before. And it is something very difficult to finish the career. And she is already in the final stage and she does not want to let everything be lost. And it is difficult. And my brother is also the same. My brother is… He is doing a postgraduate degree in anesthesiology. He needs to get something out of it. He wants to get something out of it. And he is also finishing and he does not want to leave it. That is what stops my brothers from staying.
[i] Do you miss a lot to finish?
[r] Not much. My sister in less than a year and my brother too. It is not much, but the problem is that the situation in the country does not let them finish. And there are many students there who practically leave their studies to work. And that is what happens there. And sometimes they do not have to pay, they do not have how to go, they do not have anything.
[i] And when they finish, will they be able to work in Venezuela? With their diplomas?
[r] I do not think so. It is not very easy to work there. They are not… With the diploma there, if you get a job, maybe you can work, but the salary will not be enough for anything. That is, you are doing something you like, but it is of no use to you because you are not acquiring what you really want.
[i] And that is your family and your friends. Do you still have contact with your friends, with your friends?
[r] Yes, well, all my friends are… They are… They are… Surrounded by riots everywhere in the world, I think.
[i] For example?
[r] Spain, Ecuador, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Argentina. In Argentina there are quite a few Venezuelans. In Europe I have quite a few friends, Germany, many, many, many. In many parts, I think there is a long list.
[i] And have you seen any already or still?
[r] Yes, I had the opportunity to see a friend, but not for long. She lives in Spain and she found out that I came here and she came to visit me for a few days.
[i] And when you were on that plane and you said, well, I’m going to Belgium, what did you imagine? What did you think? What does a girl your age feel? That she is leaving her family and is coming…
[r] Well, the truth was something super new for me. Super, super new. I was… What am I going to do? Because my husband had already told me that I had to learn a new language. I had to learn a new custom, a new tradition. Something that in Venezuela is totally different. Here it is all new, all new for me, everything. Here everything is based on appointments. And there in Venezuela it is something normal, you go and everything. And the language is very difficult, very difficult. More than anything, for us who speak Spanish, it is super difficult. I mean, the different accents, the different pronunciations, everything is super difficult. But nothing, I was looking for something better. And well, I decided.
[i] Your flight was direct?
[r] No, no. My flight, I went to Colombia first. Then I went to Bogota. After Bogota I went to Medellín. And after Medellín I went to Spain. And in Spain, they gave me everything because they were not going to let me in. Because I did not have… They wanted a test from my boyfriend. From someone who was going to receive me here. And well, I had to give it to him, I had to give him everything. But in the end they let me in. And then I went to Brussels. And from Brussels I came to Antwerp.
[i] And that route from Bogota to Medellín, was it for some reason? Why did you have so many flights?
[r] Because the ticket was cheaper, like that.
[i] Okay, it was like the same ticket.
[r] Yes, it was the same ticket and it was cheaper. That is, on several flights it was cheaper.
[i] And what airline was it, do you remember?
[r] Avianca. Avianca.
[i] To Madrid.
[r] To Madrid. Who left Venezuela, closed its doors in Venezuela. After two weeks that I arrived here, I found out that they were no longer going to make more flights. So I had that luck too. Because many Venezuelans stayed there waiting.
[i] With the ticket.
[r] With the ticket in hand, exactly.
[i] What luck, what luck. And do you remember the day, do you remember the date?
[r] The 13th of July. The 13th of July, exactly. The 14th of July.
[i] Of?
[r] Of 2017. Yeah. 14th of July of 2017.
[i] And when, how long did it take you not to see your boyfriend?
[r] One year.
[i] One year.
[r] One year I did not see him, exactly. It lasted, yes, it was very complicated, but it was super complicated. Because we have been dating for 15 years. And we were friends, we were companions. In other words, he studied in a different school than mine. And, but we were companions. We were companions, we knew each other and we never imagined that we were going to get here. In other words, it was something super different. So we tried it between the two of us and well, it came out. And here we are.
[i] So you were lucky to have arrived and to have had someone to receive you.
[r] Yes, quite. Quite. I was very lucky. And apart from that, his family has also helped me a lot. Everything. It was a great opportunity for me. I did not take advantage of it and I am very grateful for that.
[i] And how are the first impressions of Antwerp?
[r] Very beautiful. I mean, I did like it because I arrived in summer. I arrived in summer. Exactly. So I loved everything. I liked the idea of being able to go on bicycles everywhere. I did not have that idea that they were going to kill me, that if they went out they were not going to kill me. Because in Venezuela, if you go out on the street with a phone or something, it is one hundred percent sure that someone is going to steal you.
[i] Delinquency.
[r] Total delinquency, total delinquency. And here I did not feel that. I mean, I felt free. I felt free, which I did not feel in Venezuela.
[i] And you, to be able to stay here, you have asked for asylum.
[r] Yes, I asked for asylum.
[i] And how was it when you arrived and you had to go directly to some place?
[r] No, the truth is that I had not thought of asking for asylum. But I asked for it. Because I think I saw that it was the most… more viable. And so I went, I asked, I went first to an association called Caritas. I reported there, they helped me a lot. They gave me several options that I could do to get my papers here, to be able to stay here. I told them my situation, what was going on with me, with my family, the situation with my boyfriend, everything. And well, I think it was the option that I saw best. I went, they guided me. I had to go to Brussels, to the Foreign Office. And nothing, I went there at the first hour. I had to be there making my queue. Stay there until they opened the doors. Then there they began to do all the procedures. They took our fingerprints, our names and everything.
[i] And after that?
[r] Well, after that…
[i] What did they tell you? What did they tell you?
[r] Well, I’m still waiting for the answer. But I hope they are positive. But, I mean, they gave me a little interview. Where I told my situation. And they told me that I had to wait. That I had to wait for them to send me a new letter. For another new interview. And so go to that interview and make the decision. They make the decision whether I am accepted or not.
[i] And you haven’t had that second interview yet?
[r] I haven’t had it yet. No, I’m waiting for it.
[i] And the first interview was with an interpreter? With a translator?
[r] Yes, it was… If I’m not mistaken, I think it was a Spanish. Because Spanish, Spanish, I spoke Spanish. And the one who was taking me, that is, it was an interpreter. Yes, the Spanish interpreter. And the one who was taking me the data and everything was a person from here.
[i] And did you feel comfortable in all that process?
[r] Yes, I felt very comfortable. I mean, I expressed myself well. I was able to talk as I wanted and everything. And they listened to me, they asked me many questions. But well…
[i] And apart from Caritas, has there been any other… Other people, another organization apart from your family here in Belgium that…
[r] No, well, I don’t know… Just for my part, I only knew Caritas and that’s where I was guided and where they informed me.
[i] And do they continue to guide you so far?
[r] Yes, they continue to guide me.
[i] And how has your life been from that moment until now? What have you done?
[r] Totally different. It has been super drastic in my life because I had to find a schedule. I had… I have to find a schedule. Now I have to learn a new language, go to the streets and… Talking to people makes me very difficult. And… Meeting people is difficult because I don’t speak their language and… It’s very difficult. It’s very difficult to get together with the Belgians. It’s super difficult.
[i] You mean having Belgian friends or…
[r] Exactly. It’s very difficult.
[i] And… but have you met Belgians?
[r] Yes, I have met Belgians.
[i] Where, for example?
[r] In my job. There I spend time with Belgians all the time.
[i] And where do you work?
[r] I work in Burger King. In the new Burger King in the Meir. Which is located in the Meir. And there I spend all day with Belgians. And it is a bit difficult. There are some who are very friendly. That if they want to talk to you. They want to make a program with you. But others who are very closed. No… There is no such connection as there is with others. It is very difficult.
[i] And how long have you been working there?
[r] Three weeks.
[i] Three weeks?
[r] Yes, three weeks.
[i] And was it easy to get a job? Was it… how…
[r] Well…
[i] Before working, what were you doing?
[r] I study Dutch. Currently I am still studying Dutch. I arrived and once I asked for asylum. They told me that I had the opportunity to study Dutch. And… I’m studying right now. They are in Cora. I see. And… Nothing. Once my boyfriend saw a publication on the internet. On Facebook. And… He saw that they were looking for vacancies. For the new Burger King. That was going to open in the Meir. And well, nothing. I… At first I was afraid. Because obviously I was in 1.2 of Dutch. And… I said no. They are not going to accept me. That surely they are going to ask me for a new… They are going to ask me for a new… They are going to ask me for a higher level. I don’t think I’m going to be able to. So… Nothing. My boyfriend told me. But try it, try it, try it. So… Well… I tried it. I sent an email. And they asked me for my resume. So… I sent them. I sent them. And they answered me.
[i] That boyfriend of yours is an angel, right?
[r] Yes. Yes. Well… I contacted them. And they… They told me that they wanted… To do an interview with me. Which I was too shocked. Because I did not know… What I was going to say. Or how I was going to say it. Because in my Dutch level… It was not or is not so good either. So… Nothing. What I did was… I practiced, I practiced the interview. The possible questions they could ask me. And… Well, the day the interview came. I went there. I went to the interview. The guy, he interviewed me. Obviously Dutch. He was Dutch. And… Well. I went. How to say it. How to say it like that. I was crazy. But I did well. Everything went well. And…
[i] When they told you that you had the job.
[r] I was happy. I mean… Because I think it’s my first job. It is… It is… and outside of my country, it’s something super great, I’m lucky to have a job.
[i] Yes, congratulations.
[r] Thank you.
[i] And how do you see yourself in three months here in the Netherlands, how do you see yourself in the short term?
[r] In the short term, I would say that still studying in the Netherlands, because it is a very difficult language. And nothing, continue working, obviously I want to continue working because I want to get my things here in Belgium, I want to move, study at a university, I want, as I told you before, in Venezuela I studied computer science, computer engineering, I want to come back here. But if it doesn’t happen, well, I would have to look to see what other areas I could also study and get a job. And then, well, it will be seen in the future and it will be seen what comes, what life gives. Are you happy? Yes, yes, yes, yes, of course. Because I feel that I can move forward, I feel that I can help my family.
[i] What things did you do in Venezuela or what customs did you have in Venezuela that you can still keep here in Belgium?
[r] Here, well, I think not much, not much, really. I do go out with my friends, I have a few friends here in Belgium. I go out, but it is very different from how it was in Venezuela. Because they are friends who are from other countries too and have different customs, other languages, but it is very different. But I think that family reunions, family reunions with my boyfriend’s family is something that we do there a lot and here we also do it.
[i] And what do they prepare, for example, when there is a meeting? Prepare a lot of food, Venezuelan food or…
[r] Yes, well, my boyfriend’s dad really likes the grill, so we make a lot of grill, well, when we can. And hamburgers, my boyfriend likes the hamburger a lot.
[i] To whom?
[r] To my boyfriend, he likes it a lot.
[i] He will go to visit you a lot at work.
[r] Yes, exactly, and he also eats a lot. I mean, no.
[i] And the music, what other things?
[r] Well, what happens is that the music here is very… how to say it… 80s? That is, it is more…
[i] That is, it is super pretty.
[r] Yes, exactly. And there it is more… more current. Here it is something more…
[i] Retro.
[r] Retro, exactly, the word I was looking for. Retro, exactly, exactly. Yes, but there are still places here where there is also music that we can listen to. It’s very good, it’s nice the places that are here and everything. It’s very nice.
[i] Ok, well, thank you very much.
[r] It’s a pleasure.