The story of Veruzka Story · installations and exhibitions: LSYTSDA Sala Alterarte
Position · 0:00 / 5:30 SubtitlesOff ES EN GL Transcript 0:00 My name is Veruzka Mendes. I come from Venezuela and 0:05 I have been here in Spain for eight months. 0:10 I came here because of the 0:13 situation in our country, the economic crisis... 0:17 Everything you could mention. 0:20 I decided to leave my country when I was eighteen. 0:24 First I lived in Peru. I decided to leave my 0:26 country because it was no longer possible to study. 0:30 So I said: I am leaving because I have to help my family. 0:35 I spent eight years in Peru. Life in 0:39 Peru had become more or less just about surviving. 0:44 That was when I decided to come here. From Peru I travelled to Venezuela. 0:49 I planned to stay in Venezuela for about a 0:52 month while I got my passport and sorted out... 0:54 My documents. 0:56 I ended up staying for three months, because you have to 0:59 pay for everything there and it takes time. So, three months... 1:02 That was how long it took me to come here. 1:05 And then I arrived... 1:09 The journey was straightforward. 1:15 Except I got lost at the airport for a moment. 1:17 I went to stay with a friend. 1:20 She came first and welcomed me. 1:24 And I spent about... 1:27 A month looking for work, until I started working. 1:32 Illegally, but here we are, still 1:35 waiting for the regularisation documents. 1:38 And that is where I am now. I am waiting for... 1:44 My work permit to become active. I 1:46 also applied for regularisation, to see which... 1:49 Of the two comes through first, 1:52 so I can look for work legally. 1:56 An outsider, yes, because my home will always 2:01 be Venezuela. I came here for a better... 2:05 Opportunity. 2:06 I come from a close family. In Peru 2:09 I was not alone; I was with my sister. 2:13 But I had to come here on my own. 2:16 And I miss my family and my nephews. 2:21 Of course I feel like an outsider, because this is an unfamiliar country. 2:23 It is not my home country. I am 2:27 practically alone. Whatever happens, I face it alone. 2:35 And to think that I am here while people 2:38 are still suffering because of the situation back home. 2:40 What I brought with me was a photograph of my nephews. 2:43 The photograph of my three nephews. 2:48 That was the most valuable thing I have. 2:50 My nephews are a laugh. 2:54 They are very affectionate. 2:56 With me, because I have practically lived with all three of them. 3:00 But the one closest to me is the youngest, the last one. 3:05 He is the one I miss the most. 3:09 Because he is the one who spends the most time with me. 3:12 He calls me and cries because I left. He still cries. 3:15 It has been seven months and every time he calls me, he is crying. 3:19 “Auntie, I want to come with you.” 3:23 He would even rather leave his mum and come with me. 3:26 My other nephews, the older ones, too. 3:30 But most of all, it is him, the little one. 3:34 It does make me stronger, because I think about my family every day. 3:38 But some days you feel depressed, thinking about your family... 3:44 About being alone here. If something happens to you... 3:48 Who will be there for you? Who will keep you company? 3:52 In the end, you are alone here. 3:55 I get up every day because I think of my family... 3:59 And because I know I came for them, to help them. 4:01 I actually plan to build a life here. 4:04 Because, from what we can see, it will take Venezuela far too many years to recover. 4:09 That is what I want: to settle here, build a 4:12 life here and at least be able to bring my family... 4:16 Those closest to me, here. To have, as they 4:21 say, a decent life and enjoy it a little... 4:26 Together with them. 4:27 I knew it would be a little difficult, but I would not change my decision. 4:34 Because I know that staying there meant getting nowhere. 4:37 Not helping my family, not helping my grandmother, the people who need it. 4:42 Staying there meant being stuck in my country, 4:45 suffering like everyone else and watching my family suffer. 4:48 And that is what I do not want. 4:49 People here are lovely; they are good people. 4:54 The people I have met have been good people. They are kind. 4:59 They do not put people down because of where they come from... 5:05 As has happened in some other countries. Not everyone, but it does happen. 5:13 What I like here is that the town is peaceful and the people are calm. 5:17 It is a quiet town for me, since I do 5:20 not really like going out or those kinds of things. 