In my previous post, I explained how I bought a house in Missouri and set it up as an Airbnb to earn some money while I was traveling. In January 2020, the house was set up, but I needed to ensure it would be ready to welcome my first Airbnb guests before I left to travel. I asked José, the manager and part-owner of the house cleaning company, to stop by and discuss what needed to be done. José and I walked through the house and reviewed the details. Then we ended up talking for the next hour and a half.
José was 21 years old, about 5’8″, had dark hair, was attractive, and was from Venezuela. He moved to the U.S. four years prior with his family when he was just 17 years old. I was very curious to know about life in Venezuela because it’s often talked about in the U.S. I asked José, “Is what they say about Venezuela true? That it was the richest, most prosperous country in South America before socialism took over, and now people wait in line for food while blackouts are a regular occurrence?”
José took a deep breath and said, “It’s complicated”. He told me that his family was well-off when they lived in Venezuela, having both house cleaners and security personnel. As inflation hit, he noticed they could no longer afford their cleaners or security. Then he said, “I was kidnapped twice. One was random, and one was targeted at me.” Surprised, I said, “Hold on, kidnapped!? Twice?!”
José explained that when he was six years old, he was traveling on a public bus with his family when armed men got on to steal the bus. The driver saw a police officer and flashed his lights. Unfortunately, the bad guys saw that and smashed the driver’s head. All of a sudden, it was a standoff and a hostage situation. José remembers his mother telling him to get under the seat. It was the first time he saw a gun. The police convinced the bad guys that they would shoot and kill them if any of the hostages were killed, so they surrendered.
The second time that José was kidnapped was shortly after they lost their security. He was only 15 years old. José said, “I was about to leave the house, and my mother is very religious, so she said, ‘May God be with you.’ I was wearing my Beats headphones, and she told me to put them inside my backpack. I thought I’d be fine and started walking to school.”
Suddenly, a van pulled up, and a man put his arm around José and started telling him his mom’s name, what car she drove, and where they lived. That’s when José knew it was a targeted attack. They took him aside and went through his backpack. At the time, José wanted to be a DJ and was about to throw a big party. His mother had just given him a lot of cash for the party, which the kidnappers knew about. They took all of the money and four iPhones that he had. José explained that back then, he used to help friends unlock their iPhones, which is why he had so many. He told the kidnappers, “You can take those four phones, but please let me keep my phone.” They agreed that he could keep his phone and let him go.
I asked José, “How did they know you had all that money?” He responded, “I don’t know. In Venezuela, you don’t ask questions. The less you know, the better.”
José and I discussed Venezuela’s political situation and why it’s gone downhill so fast. Was it because of socialism? José explained that the biggest problem was when the government took control of the major oil company there, which was owned by the U.S. but operated by Venezuela. Once they decided they owned it, everything fell apart. José compared it to Pablo Escobar. He said, “You know how Pablo tried to run for political office?” I said, “Yeah, I’ve seen Narcos on Netflix.” He said, “Well, they asked where Pablo’s money came from, and it was all from drugs. Because it was drug money, the U.S. and Colombia worked together to take him down. In Venezuela, the leader of our corruption is the head of the Congress and the military. Nobody can go after him. Not even the U.S. He is in control of our military and doesn’t have a drug background. Once your political system is infected, and I use the word infected purposely, it can’t be stopped.”
José described how their president would be on the news, saying he was just like everyone else but was wearing a Rolex. They knew he lived down a private street with walls and security, so he was far from “everyone else.” José explained that those in power always want “equality” because they know they’ll always remain rich. Socialism keeps politicians rich and makes everyone else poor. In Venezuela, the middle class disappeared. He went to a private school and was pretty well off there. All of a sudden, students were coming to school with brand new BMWs and fararris. He knew what their parents did for a living, and it wouldn’t allow them to afford those cars. It was the corruption. Wealthy people got insanely rich, while everyone else became poor.
I asked José how the corruption worked. He told me that a friend of his told him that they could create an LLC on paper and the government would give them $100,000, which they’d split. They would do that 10 times and become millionaires. José said no because if you do that, you become a slave to the government. “You owe them,” he explained. His friend did it and now lives in Miami with a Yacht. José explained, “The corruption has led to poor people being unable to leave, literally. The rich people don’t want to leave because, well, they’re rich.”
One day, José was walking around with some friends, and he grabbed a bottle from the street and broke it, leaving it with sharp edges. He said he carried it “just in case”. Unfortunately, José fell and ended up cutting his wrist on the bottle. He walked into a police station and asked to be taken to the hospital. The police officer said, “I’m going to lunch. Come back later.” Then he closed the booth. A woman nearby heard him and took him to the hospital instead.
I explained to José that I think there are too many police officers in our area, and they primarily care about getting money from speeding tickets. José said that he’s been pulled over 12 times in Missouri and hasn’t received a ticket one time! Frustrated, I asked what his secret was because I couldn’t seem to get out of a ticket, even when I wasn’t speeding. He said, “I always put my hands up, and when the officer asked why I was pulled over, I said, ‘because I was speeding. I’m sorry.’ And then I tell them I have all of my information if they need it.” I couldn’t believe he had gotten out of so many tickets.
I was curious about why José ended up in Missouri, the middle of America, which is often referred to as “fly-over country.” He said his family had friends in Miami, Florida, and in St. Peters, Missouri. When they left Venezuela, they briefly went to Miami. Their friends explained what you could get for $3,000 a month in Miami and what you could get in St. Peters. For them, it was a no-brainer. José loves it in Missouri and said, “I can go visit Miami, New York, or LA. Then I can come back to peace and quiet in Missouri.”
I asked José what his experience was like moving to the Midwest at age 17. He didn’t speak much English when he first arrived and attended a full year of high school in St. Peters. He described his experience with a huge smile on his face, “When I first started school, this popular guy welcomed me and showed me around the school. You see, we don’t have popular kids like that at our schools, but we see it in the movies. It was just like the movies! This guy was tall, muscular, with blonde hair. Then he introduced me to his girlfriend, who was beautiful with blonde hair. We don’t have people with that complexion in Venezuela. Then he introduced me to his friends at lunch, and I had people to sit with. I barely spoke the first semester because of my English, but it’s been a great experience for me. In my four years here, I’ve only had one person who was fairly rude to me. He said he wouldn’t speak to me because he couldn’t understand my accent.”
After high school, José attended one semester at St. Charles Community College on a full scholarship. He was happy to show his mom his good grades because he wasn’t the best student in school, but he decided he didn’t want to continue with college. His mom worked at a hospital changing bed linens. José said that it was an adjustment coming to America because in Venezuela, his mom worked in an office and didn’t really need to work. His dad worked as a manager for a large company with offices all over the world. He said they all quickly realized they had to work hard in the U.S.
José got a job at the hospital and performed custodial duties. He was the only one who cleaned the kitchen, and one day he asked who would clean it when he was not working. They said, “Nobody.” José took the initiative and started getting extra work, and realized he could start his own cleaning company (which he began a year ago with a friend of his).
José was also working at a restaurant. One day, he created the schedule for the owner, and the owner appreciated it because there wasn’t a manager. Next, José started paying vendors and doing other managerial stuff. He said, “I didn’t ask for more money because I look towards the long term. One day, I told the owner, ‘You know, you should hire a manager.’ I didn’t tell him it should be me, but I was just letting him know. He liked that I was doing all sorts of things because he didn’t have to work so much.” José ended up referring a friend for the manager position because he needed to start his house cleaning company. José’s goal is to be a business owner who owns several businesses. He had plans to expand from house cleaning to floor cleaning experts and then start washing the outside of homes. Next, he wanted to incorporate a mobile car detailing service. It’s another reason why he loves Missouri. In Miami, there’s too much competition, but there isn’t as much competition for that in Missouri.
José loves America because of the opportunity to create and start businesses. I asked José how he was able to come here, and he explained that his dad is originally from Cuba, and there is a deal between Cuba and America. When they left Venezuela, they stopped in Cuba for a week to visit family, and he quickly noticed they lived in extreme poverty. His mother ended up booking a resort on a private island that was extremely beautiful. He said, “In Cuba, the rich live very well, but most people live in poverty.” José explained that he was disappointed when Obama loosened the restrictions against Cuba. He said, “One thing I love about Trump is how he treats Cuba. You shouldn’t negotiate with a dictator. There is no cooperation with a dictator.” José has read about what makes people rise to power, like Hitler. He said countries should not work with dictatorships at all. He said their president only visits Russia, Iraq, and China. He said, “Why doesn’t he visit anywhere else? Because he can’t. He can only visit communist countries.”
José was such an inspiring person to talk to. He was smart, upbeat, and funny. I appreciated his work ethic and hustle. I was happy to know that he’s had a great experience in the U.S. He plans to apply for citizenship as soon as he becomes eligible. José and I realized we had talked for almost two hours, so he left. I was behind in my errands that I needed to get done before I left for Canada the next morning, but talking to him was worth it. Even though I wasn’t traveling, I was excited to meet new people and hear their stories.
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One Response
What an incredible story and amazing young man!