The Crisis in Venezuela

Jose Dasso

ESL 100

March 6, 2019

The Crisis in Venezuela

              I’m not a politician or anything similar, but I’m on top of what has been happening with my country for many years, Since I can remember the people that work in the government Venezuela haven’t changed, and they have ruined the economy. Twenty years of Chavismo, socialist policy started by Hugo Chavez and continued by Nicolas Maduro, destroyed one of the most prominent countries in South America. They kicked out all the foreign companies and stole the citizen’s property and businesses.  They mismanage PDVSA, our oil company, that makes the most of our money and is the most important part of the Venezuela economy. Moreover, they have made enemies with all the democratic countries like U.S, Canada, and UK. They have buried us in deb to Russia and China. Today, Venezuela is facing the biggest inflation of its history. This has put millions of Venezuelans in a bad situation. My grandmother, mother, and I have all been affected by Chavismo’s impact on the Venezuelan society.

              First, Venezuelan’s crime has been increasing for the last couple years, and as result Venezuelan now spend more time in their houses to prevent getting robbed. In every country, there is a risk of being robbed, but in Venezuela even walking in the streets is dangerous. In fact, I got robbed twice in just one week because I decided to take a walk to the market that was few blocks away from my house. Venezuelan are almost always afraid of being robbed or kidnapped. Every year the number of crimes such as kidnapping and murders increase. For example, my grandmother doesn’t like to leave her apartment, she has received calls from thieves to threaten her. It’s common in Venezuela to hear bad stories of assault, kidnapping or robbed.

              In addition, the decline of the economy caused my mother to sell our farm for a low prize. Other families have been forced to sell their property for low prices or even just let lose and not get any money. For example, my grandfather made his living by working in the farm. Before Chavez, many families from my city, Maracaibo, were able to produce money with the agriculture, but this is not now the best to make money like before. After years of hard work my mom and brother decided to sell the farm because owning property in Venezuela is not a good option.

              Finally, like millions of other Venezuelans, I decided to leave Venezuela and my family because there is no future for young people. For example, many of my best friends are living all around the world, except in Venezuela. When I was living in Venezuela, I was not able to find a job that would help me save money for the future or even afford a car. The schools were not in a good situation, so I made the decision to leave and start over in the Chicago. I am working on my degree and building my life in U.S. However, I haven’t miss even one day that I do not talk with my family to know about their situation.

              In conclusion, the impact of Chavismo on Venezuela over the last twenty years has been devastating. As a result, I left my dear Venezuela leaving family and friends behind. Almost every day, I try to be in touch with my family and friends to know how they feel, and to give them emotional and economic support. In addition, this is a feeling or situation that I share with many other Venezuelans. I pray to return someday when the nightmare is over. However, many young Venezuelans have been more involved in Venezuelan history because of this situation, living and sharing the immigrant’s journey.