A characteristic of a politically persecuted Venezuelan person is that they must leave the country immediately - in a hurry, leaving all of their belongings behind, and only bringing with them few pieces of clothing, what they can fit into two pieces of luggage. This is not a planned trip. This is to say that their new lives begin with very little. When they arrive, they have little. They feel lost and disoriented.
Upon arriving, Venezuelan's must survive only by the little money they brought with them. No financial help is given to them through political asylum or of any kind. Entire families often find themselves renting small, affordable efficiencies in order to have a place to live. Multiple families or individuals may share a single apartment, in which one family will "live" in the living room, another in another area, etc. to save money in rent.
After some time, upon establishing their lives, finding work, and saving money, they will then move into more comfortable living situations.
This, however, is a small part of adjusting to their lives in their new countries. Language barriers and culture shock play a large role in adapting. For instance, in many cases, Venezuelan families will take their children to a park, but the sense of insecurity and crime is still haunting and takes time to get used to - that is, it takes time to feel safe as they all have been persecuted and victimized by Venezuela. They are so accustomed to fear that it takes time to stop looking behind their backs. There is also a sense of isolation by the children being surrounded by English speaking children - they never thought they would ever leave Venezuela, so they never felt the need to learn English. Having left their entire lives in a place they will never return to takes much time to accept, and many Venezuelan's will seek therapy to accept it.
In the majority of the families, one or both of the parents have been imprisoned and tortured by the government. This plays a large toll on the emotional health of the children. In most cases, the children bottle up their emotions and carry it with them throughout their new lives. The children also face loss and grief after having left their countries, friends, and comforts needed in their upbringing.
The children face many challenges, and find that the challenges will not wait on them. The challenges will not wait for the children to become accustomed to their new lives, to find the strength to stop crying, or to strengthen their emotional states. They must continue on with life, and, over time and through specialized help such as therapy, they finally acquire or come closer to the quality of life they came for.
Upon arriving, Venezuelan's must survive only by the little money they brought with them. No financial help is given to them through political asylum or of any kind. Entire families often find themselves renting small, affordable efficiencies in order to have a place to live. Multiple families or individuals may share a single apartment, in which one family will "live" in the living room, another in another area, etc. to save money in rent.
After some time, upon establishing their lives, finding work, and saving money, they will then move into more comfortable living situations.
This, however, is a small part of adjusting to their lives in their new countries. Language barriers and culture shock play a large role in adapting. For instance, in many cases, Venezuelan families will take their children to a park, but the sense of insecurity and crime is still haunting and takes time to get used to - that is, it takes time to feel safe as they all have been persecuted and victimized by Venezuela. They are so accustomed to fear that it takes time to stop looking behind their backs. There is also a sense of isolation by the children being surrounded by English speaking children - they never thought they would ever leave Venezuela, so they never felt the need to learn English. Having left their entire lives in a place they will never return to takes much time to accept, and many Venezuelan's will seek therapy to accept it.
In the majority of the families, one or both of the parents have been imprisoned and tortured by the government. This plays a large toll on the emotional health of the children. In most cases, the children bottle up their emotions and carry it with them throughout their new lives. The children also face loss and grief after having left their countries, friends, and comforts needed in their upbringing.
The children face many challenges, and find that the challenges will not wait on them. The challenges will not wait for the children to become accustomed to their new lives, to find the strength to stop crying, or to strengthen their emotional states. They must continue on with life, and, over time and through specialized help such as therapy, they finally acquire or come closer to the quality of life they came for.