the road from Barquisimeto..
Barquisimeto is a city on the Turbio River and the capital of Lara state in northwestern Venezuela. The city has a population exceeding one million people and the average temperature is 75 year round. It's where Luisa was born and raised. It's also the city she fled 12 years ago.
HUH? What's up with that? discovered Luisa working as a teller in a local bank. After several short conversations, I felt her history would be an interesting post. I explained what I would like to do, and we set a time and place to meet over coffee. Hopefully, the essence of her story is captured here.
Luisa was 18 when her mother sent her to the United States with an F-1 Student Visa in hand. There was genuine concern for Luisa's safety in her homeland because she had been involved in an anti-government movement from the time she was 12 years old.
Luisa and her circle of friends opposed the presidency of Hugo Chavez, a dictator who was elected to power in 1999. She was a member of Sumate, a non-governmental organization whose stated mission is to promote, defend, facilitate, and back the political rights accorded to citizens by the Constitution of Venezuela.
She and her fellow Sumate members participated in many anti-government protests as well as trying to educate voters at polling booths during elections. She also frequently went into the community to teach people about their rights as citizens. On one occasion, Luisa had her ID taken from her during a demonstration at the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, the equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Luisa was an atypical teenager.
And, while all of this was happening, Luisa's mom was both a proud parent and a very concerned mother. Thus her decision to send Luisa to the United States.
As her plane taxied from one of the departure gates of Jacinto Lara International Airport 12 years ago, Luisa said she remembers thinking, How much John 3:16 follows me every place I go. The well-known verse is basically the foundation of Christianity. Luisa said there have been many times throughout her life when she leaned on her faith for guidance. This was one of those times. But, at that moment, she had just left behind the only home she knew and was on an airplane headed for Caracas.
The largest city in Venezuela happens to be the capital too. It's a short flight from Barquisimeto to Caracas. Luisa stayed overnight there and the next day boarded a flight to the United States. She flew directly to Atlanta and on to Louisville, Kentucky. Luisa's actual destination was 90 miles further south in Kentucky. Her older brother had a partial college scholarship to Campbellsville University and she wanted to go to the same school.
I have often wondered about and admired those who relocate to another country and can't speak the native language. All four of my grandparents came to America without knowing a word of English. By the time I was interested in learning more about how they managed day to day living, it was too late to find out firsthand.
Luisa said, It was a cultural shock when I came here. She went on to say, I didn't know much English or how to talk to anyone to tell them things. When she first appeared on the university's campus, she had a roommate and lived in a dorm. As Luisa started to learn the language, she became more adept at speaking to others and gathering more information. Plus, her brother was on campus, so that made the transition somewhat easier.
As Luisa pointed out, part of the cultural change was environmental too. The idea of four seasons was totally new to her. I left a country that was summertime all year, she said. I didn't even own a winter coat, let alone know what winter was about.
She also missed her South American specialty foods, the most important being Arepas, which is corn maize, salt, and water. It's eaten for any meal and is filled with meat, eggs, or any other filler. Luisa told me, Arepas can be grilled, baked, or fried and transformed any way you like. I grew up eating them. Today, she loves Italian food, but gives thumbs down to grits or biscuits and gravy.
After arriving on the campus of Campbellsville University in January of 2010, Luisa confronted all the usual obstacles one would encounter when faced with new living conditions in a strange country. She also realized money was going to be an issue. She worked as a babysitter and she landed an internship with a landscape company to help support herself.
In the classroom, Luisa proved to be a quick study. She received her ESL in July of 2010 and her BA in Master of Applied Second Language in July of 2013. And, through the whole process, she graduated with Honors in three years. She continued her education and got her MA and TESOL in December of 2016.
At this time, Luisa is unsure of the direction to take in terms of career choice. She has a lot of options, including teaching, but she feels close to choosing the right path.
Last year, Luisa married a man from Cuba who is now a U.S. citizen. Immigration rules are different for Cuban residents as they are allowed to apply for U.S. citizenship after being in this country for one year plus a day. Luisa was here for the first eight years under a student visa, and applied for citizenship two years ago. She and her husband hope to have a family.
One of Luisa's goals is to bring her mother and stepfather to the states. The usual complications arise surrounding that decision including her parents' occupations, housing, property, and extended family. She is hopeful it will get sorted out and her parents can relocate here.
HUH? What's up with that? was pleased to interview Luisa for this story. We thank her for her time and wish her and her husband much success.
It's difficult to imagine the adjustments one would have to make when moving to another country. However, I can't picture a time or age in which I didn't like Cracker Barrel grits with real maple syrup.... HUH? What's up with that?
Barquisimeto is a city on the Turbio River and the capital of Lara state in northwestern Venezuela. The city has a population exceeding one million people and the average temperature is 75 year round. It's where Luisa was born and raised. It's also the city she fled 12 years ago.
HUH? What's up with that? discovered Luisa working as a teller in a local bank. After several short conversations, I felt her history would be an interesting post. I explained what I would like to do, and we set a time and place to meet over coffee. Hopefully, the essence of her story is captured here.
Luisa was 18 when her mother sent her to the United States with an F-1 Student Visa in hand. There was genuine concern for Luisa's safety in her homeland because she had been involved in an anti-government movement from the time she was 12 years old.
Luisa and her circle of friends opposed the presidency of Hugo Chavez, a dictator who was elected to power in 1999. She was a member of Sumate, a non-governmental organization whose stated mission is to promote, defend, facilitate, and back the political rights accorded to citizens by the Constitution of Venezuela.
She and her fellow Sumate members participated in many anti-government protests as well as trying to educate voters at polling booths during elections. She also frequently went into the community to teach people about their rights as citizens. On one occasion, Luisa had her ID taken from her during a demonstration at the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, the equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Luisa was an atypical teenager.
And, while all of this was happening, Luisa's mom was both a proud parent and a very concerned mother. Thus her decision to send Luisa to the United States.
As her plane taxied from one of the departure gates of Jacinto Lara International Airport 12 years ago, Luisa said she remembers thinking, How much John 3:16 follows me every place I go. The well-known verse is basically the foundation of Christianity. Luisa said there have been many times throughout her life when she leaned on her faith for guidance. This was one of those times. But, at that moment, she had just left behind the only home she knew and was on an airplane headed for Caracas.
The largest city in Venezuela happens to be the capital too. It's a short flight from Barquisimeto to Caracas. Luisa stayed overnight there and the next day boarded a flight to the United States. She flew directly to Atlanta and on to Louisville, Kentucky. Luisa's actual destination was 90 miles further south in Kentucky. Her older brother had a partial college scholarship to Campbellsville University and she wanted to go to the same school.
I have often wondered about and admired those who relocate to another country and can't speak the native language. All four of my grandparents came to America without knowing a word of English. By the time I was interested in learning more about how they managed day to day living, it was too late to find out firsthand.
Luisa said, It was a cultural shock when I came here. She went on to say, I didn't know much English or how to talk to anyone to tell them things. When she first appeared on the university's campus, she had a roommate and lived in a dorm. As Luisa started to learn the language, she became more adept at speaking to others and gathering more information. Plus, her brother was on campus, so that made the transition somewhat easier.
As Luisa pointed out, part of the cultural change was environmental too. The idea of four seasons was totally new to her. I left a country that was summertime all year, she said. I didn't even own a winter coat, let alone know what winter was about.
She also missed her South American specialty foods, the most important being Arepas, which is corn maize, salt, and water. It's eaten for any meal and is filled with meat, eggs, or any other filler. Luisa told me, Arepas can be grilled, baked, or fried and transformed any way you like. I grew up eating them. Today, she loves Italian food, but gives thumbs down to grits or biscuits and gravy.
After arriving on the campus of Campbellsville University in January of 2010, Luisa confronted all the usual obstacles one would encounter when faced with new living conditions in a strange country. She also realized money was going to be an issue. She worked as a babysitter and she landed an internship with a landscape company to help support herself.
In the classroom, Luisa proved to be a quick study. She received her ESL in July of 2010 and her BA in Master of Applied Second Language in July of 2013. And, through the whole process, she graduated with Honors in three years. She continued her education and got her MA and TESOL in December of 2016.
At this time, Luisa is unsure of the direction to take in terms of career choice. She has a lot of options, including teaching, but she feels close to choosing the right path.
Last year, Luisa married a man from Cuba who is now a U.S. citizen. Immigration rules are different for Cuban residents as they are allowed to apply for U.S. citizenship after being in this country for one year plus a day. Luisa was here for the first eight years under a student visa, and applied for citizenship two years ago. She and her husband hope to have a family.
One of Luisa's goals is to bring her mother and stepfather to the states. The usual complications arise surrounding that decision including her parents' occupations, housing, property, and extended family. She is hopeful it will get sorted out and her parents can relocate here.
HUH? What's up with that? was pleased to interview Luisa for this story. We thank her for her time and wish her and her husband much success.
It's difficult to imagine the adjustments one would have to make when moving to another country. However, I can't picture a time or age in which I didn't like Cracker Barrel grits with real maple syrup.... HUH? What's up with that?
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