I wish to flee from Venezuela

Hello there. You have no idea how ashamed I am to write and publish this. It took me a lot of time and courage, but I can't hold it anymore.



I'm a 22 year-old woman from Venezuela. I've lived here my whole life and now I finally decided to leave. As you may know, life here is no longer sustainable and people literally stay and die... or flee.



First of all, I used to earn less than 200.000 Venezuelan Bolívares a month as an English teacher at a primary school. Today, that's less than USD $1. Me and my family are basically struggling to survive. We can't buy any of the basic products we need and everything keeps getting more and more expensive every day. Sometimes I work as a freelancer online but I haven’t been able to save much since May 2017 when I started offering my services.



Being a teacher is the first real job I’ve had. Why didn't I start working earlier in life? See, I wasted years trying to study and finish my career. I only needed 5 years to graduate and start working but many universities here have literally had to shut down several times in the past 4 years because professors don't get paid, students fight against the government's military units (and die)... The list of reasons and explanations goes on and on... So, months and months that'll never come back. In 4 years I only managed to approve 5 of 10 semesters... And guess what? I had to quit last year. My family and I can no longer waste precious time waiting to see if I ever graduate. Most students are quitting college all around the country. We are all forced to work. Whether we like it or not.



So, I'm still young. This is it. It's now or never. I have to leave and start earning money outside so I can send it to my family here and, perhaps, they can leave too. I'm my parents' only hope. I'm the eldest daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin... Everything. No one else can do it but me. So, here's the plan:



2018. The year everything changes.



Where? Argentina. That's the destination I chose.



Why? I already have a place to stay and a person that'll help me with everything I need once I arrive there. I only have to pay for the plane ticket.



When? October, the 25th.



From Maracaibo to Buenos Aires.



How much? USD $1,247.40



I'm currently dealing with all sorts of things... ID, passport, criminal records, certified grades... I'm setting it all up and I'm getting ready but none of it will mean anything if I can't buy the ticket.



HOW CAN YOU HELP?



1- DONATE!

2- PRAY FOR ME!

3- SHARE MY STORY!



HOW'S LIFE IN VENEZUELA?



I honestly don't know what else to say... I actually hate money, believe me, I do. I'm a minimalist so I can live with the basics, but that's exactly why I'm sharing my story with you all: WE CAN'T EVEN AFFORD THE BASICS. Go ahead, ask me anything...



- Meat, chicken, pork and tuna are extremely expensive. People literally hunt pigeons to eat and have killed animals from the zoo as well. And yes, people eat garbage too.

- Shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, deodorant, razors... It's a miracle when we find those. And I won't even talk about women on their periods.

- Diapers and baby food aren't available either, so I thank God we don’t have any babies in the family.

- No medicines, drug stores are empty, clinics/hospitals don't work. Getting sick, not feeling well or being terminally ill is basically a luxury you can't pay for.

- Studying and dreaming of a better tomorrow: forget about it. You can't pay for universities, schools or any sort of academies.

- Public transportation: more expensive by the second. And will soon stop working some days of the week, meaning many people will stop going to their works and schools, which is already happening because we spent more money in public transportation than the money we earn, so, many professionals have quit their jobs in the recent time.

- We can't even go to the bank to withdraw money, banks literally don't have cash.



I read all the time about Latin American countries “opening doors” to receive us (Venezuelans) but it’s not about them, I know people around the world want to help us and welcome us in their respective countries, but, it’s about actually getting out of here. It’s almost impossible, not only because we need outrageous amounts of money to do it, but because the government entities are so incompetent at attending people’s problems and delivering help that people literally leave without any kind of IDs or passports, they simply leave because they can’t wait for the “legal way”.



So, please, help me get out of here. That's all I ask. The rest is being taken care of. Just help me pay for the plane ticket and once I leave... There's no turning back. I'll die trying if that's my fate, but I'll do something.



Venezuela, I'M DONE. I'm sick of you. I'm apolitical and I don't care who's responsible for this. I just care about everyone I love and the good people that have to suffer because they don't have a choice.



If somehow you're still not convinced... Check the news. I invite you to google "Crisis in Venezuela". Take a look! See for yourself. No one deserves this life. When I leave, I'm gonna work as hard as possible so I can help my parents, my younger brother and my grandmother. They all need me and I cannot keep wasting my youth here.



Tell me, how would your life be if you earned less than USD $1 every month?



And thank you for reading this. I hope you never have to experience this hell.