I will do anything it takes to give my child a better life

“She was on vacation in Bogota, Colombia. If you would had asked her five years ago, if she can imagine herself going there on holidays, her answer would be negative. Once again, life is like this: unexpected and full of surprises. She went there for a beautiful reason and she will never regret it. Overall, it was an amazing experience.

She has already experienced by herself what it means to be an immigrant in a foreign country. Sometimes, you could feel the rejection of the people. Now, she was able to get an idea of what life was like on the other side of the world and to learn a bit more about the immigration process that was increasing at that time. What she has seen there was not even a quarter of what is really happening on the streets and not even half of what media wants to show.

During the time she spent there, she did not want to be seen as a tourist. She wanted to get lost in the city, she wanted to lose herself among the people and to live their culture and their life, eat their food and share their customs, she wanted to be, or to try at least, for a few days be one of them and see what they see and feel what they feel.

Some of the days she has felt more than she could handle, and in other days she has seen more than she wanted to see.

She come to know that the city was divided in two parts: north and south. Having an address on the poor- middle part of the city could mean that you were not accepted for a job. Imagine this: an address can change your future; because of an address someone can decide if you are accepted for the job or not. How unfair was this?

She come to know that if you are at the airport, just by saying the address, the driver can decide if he wants to take you or not. If you lived in the poor- middle side of the city, you risked being thrown out from the taxi and being judged and labeled immediately. You were kicked off in the nicest possible way, but even tough you were practically kicked out of the taxi.

She come to learn that you should not drive with the window open and have your purse near you where can be easily seen. There is the risk of being robbed while driving.

She come to learn you should not wear jewelry or have a lot of cash with you. At all times you risked being robbed.

She used a lot with the public transportation over there. She was trying to have the routine of a person who depends on public transportation. Every day, at every hour and on every corner, you could see immigrants and locals also trying to earn decent money by selling useful stuff on the buses and on the streets.

They were people who did not steal, they were people who did not wanted the free money, they were people who really wanted to work honestly for their money but that was, in that moment the only chance to have an extra income.

One evening a girl, no older than twenty-five, entered the bus with her little girl, who was almost 6 years old. She was asking for money but not for free. She would offer small chocolates to each person who gave her something, with her little girl in her arms. She was telling her story. Her story that brought her there from Venezuela, her desire to build a better future not for herself but for her little daughter.

She was sharing, almost in tears her broken soul to some strangers in the hope that she will be able to make enough money to have one more night a roof over her daughter’s head. You could hear her shaking voice, you could see her lost pride, you could feel her sadness and helplessness.

And her story is just one of thousands who took the same path as she did: leaving their country behind because they felt no opportunity for a better future, they did not even see a future there.

She will leave Bogota and return to her life of comfort in a few days. She had a roof over her head, and she had a place which she called: “home” and more important, she had always had a plate of food to eat. That mother instead, will stay there and continue to fight for her daughter. That mother will continue to go from bus to bus, from subway to subway to offer her sweets to people who will show her mercy and give her some coins. That mother will do everything it takes to assure a better future and will continue to fight because behind there is nothing left to return to.”

I am here right now, in the same crowded corner of town, in the same coffee. I have no idea or little about what is happening in the world. Why have I written on this topic? Inward I know the reason and everyone reading this will find their own connection related to immigration.

In a society where, depending on where your address is, you can be immediately rejected in so many ways and in so many aspects.

In a society where the people desire to work, and they are offered no possibility.

In a society where the system is not with you but against you.

In a society where in your own country you have no future and circumstances force you to pack the lightest backpack and walk for days, under the hot sun and along dangerous roads, with your child in your arms and finally, when you reached the other country the only thing you find is more rejection and all you want is to earn your money in the decent way possible, but everything is against you.

Where all these things are happening, we still wonder why the rich are getting richer and why the poor people are getting poorer?

I have no idea of the whole situation, is just a short story in a million. But one thing I know for sure: we are happy, and we do not know it!

What is your story about?

Version in Spanish: https://journeywithmada.com/historia-nr-24/

Version in Romanian: https://journeywithmada.com/povestea-nr-24/