A Cry For Help From Venezuela

By Bixyl Shuftan

Computers and the Internet can bring people together in many ways, online virtual worlds even more so as they give the appearance of being together. This can often mean people learn a little more about each other's societies. But it can also mean an up close and personal view of a big problem overseas that one might be only casually aware of through the newspaper or TV news, if it makes it to the newspaper or TV news at all.

I was exploring a virtual landscape in Second Life a couple nights ago when I got a notecard that had been sent by someone on my contact list: Alejandra Jumanya, or Miss W as she is also known. I had interviewed her last year, as both the owner of a virtual goods store selling outfits for Second Life avatars, and as someone inside an increasingly impoverished and oppressed country in which the money she made online was becoming increasingly important in getting by as the economy in her country crumbled. She had hoped she and her family would make it to the United States in the future.

A year later, she has become more concerned with the short-term survival of her and her daughter.

The notecard she had passed to me, and everyone else on her contact list, read, "Hello my dears, xxxx and I are getting some food at Walmart and shipping them over to Venezuela.  If you wanted to help us, you can do so by giving us a gift card to Walmart or Paypal (xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@hotmail.com).  I feel embarrassed  to ask for donations, but you know the situation here and how difficult it is to get food, also minimum wages here are like $15 a month, so it gets tough.  If you feel inclined to help us, we will be very very grateful!"

Wanting to know more, I instant-messaged her. She was surprised to hear from me and at first wondered if I had taken offense at her request. I told her no and wanted to talk. We met at a location where she had a few of her goods for sale. She continued with her story, "I started to write another notecard a few weeks ago, but I never had the ... bravery to send it. I will copy some parts of the notecard ... which I never finished or sent because I was embarrassed, and my friend said it would be better to do an event. But she is busy and real-life gets in the way.

"I'm not sure if you know, but things here in Venezuela has gotten harder for us (for xxxx and I), the government is imposing us a food redistribution system, that requires us to acquire food from Socialist Party members, it's a way for the government to use food to coerce citizens into supporting it... not only you don't get in the food list if you are not pro-government, but also, those who get the bag, it's a (paid) bag of 1 kg or rice, milk, sugar and pasta every few weeks or months.

"I don't get a (paid) food bag... my neighborhood doesn't anyways, so we are currently forced to buy food through a rations system that forces us to stand on supermarket lines up to twelve hours long (although it's illegal to do food lines at night, so if the police comes, we have to run to our cars and come back to do the line). Often, after 10 or 12 hours through the lines, you find out that the supermarket in question has run out of basic goods like rice, vegetable oil, and milk.

"Controlling food supplies has become increasingly important to or government as riots become more and more common. Last week, in the heart of Caracas, hungry patrons of a local market rioted after seeing a shipment of rice enter the market and almost immediately being told the food had been redistributed to the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB), the troops typically responsible for attacking peaceful anti-government protests. Chanting 'we want food,' a crowd of hundreds began to march towards the presidential palace, halted only by the GNB using tear gas and violent Chavista gangs known as 'colectivos,' attacking both protesters and journalists."

"I've heard some news reports," I told her, "though this is something new." "Not new for us," Alejandra told me, "it's just been shushed by the media. But we have been in a very bad situation with food and medicine. ... Just today, a friend of mine left her home to buy a present for her 12 month old baby. When she came back, someone had broken into her house, stole her stash of diapers, all her baby's clothes, left NOTHING. stole her clothes too, and the food she had in her fridge and pantry, you know, half a kilo of rice, some pasta, 250grms of coffee, things like that. That's how bad things are. ... You see people losing weight, faces gaunt, people who have college degrees, like doctors, engineers, accountants, making $15 a month and not being able to eat twice a day."

She had shared a few real-life pictures of her and her daughter, but after some thought she felt it might not be a good idea for them to be used, "maybe we should use (only) Second Life pictures. ... what if someone who knows me sees it, and they mug me or kidnap me for money? It might not be so safe to put my face there." It was quickly agreed to use only her Second Life identity and pictures.

I asked her where she had first gotten the idea of making her appeal. She answered, "Well, I had my group for about 7 or 8 years now, and I have thousands of loyal customers, people who know who I am, they know my store has 3 brand new group gifts per week, and they KNOW who I am.. I have always been open about my real-life and my daughter, and the situation we are facing.  We are like a big family in my store group, and I thought some of the girls could or would want to help us."

I asked about others getting help outside the country. She answered, "Of course. Maybe about 80% of my friends have left the country, they are doctors or accountants here, and go to America or Europe to clean houses, work construction, do any job they can find, work at hotels cleanings, so they can send money back to their relatives." While it does bring home needed cash, unfortunately, "it tears families apart. I have a friend who left her deaf/mute daughter and granddaughter to go work in America taking care of an elderly person, so she can send money back here. Another friend who left her two kids with her mom and left to Dominican Republic, so her kids get to have food, but no mother."

"The Dominican Republic?" I asked, "Weren't they poor compared to your country a generation or two ago?" Alejandra answered, "People came to Venezuela from all over the world, because we have a great weather, the women are GORGEOUS, people are warm, you have in such a small country a desert, snow, the most amazing beaches, the plains of Venezuela, we are sitting on top of the biggest reserve oil of the world,  there is no other country with more oil.  Venezuela used to be a great place to live in, we often would see Europeans, Latin Americans or Americans vacationing here. Now the sad truth is that we are treated as 'the migrants' now where we go. Lately I have seen protests in Panama, asking the government to deport illegal Venezuelans, same in Dominican Republic and other countries. We are known as 'the migrants,' people are fleeing the country, even by boat."

I then asked, "Is there any kind of sign of this collapse being halted?" She answered, "You live here in a state of anxiety, you live with uneasiness, often people will say 'NOW THIS IS IT, THIS WILL BE IT!' But nothing ever happens,  there will be no revocatory against the President (elections to vote if we want the president or not).  We have lost the sense to be shocked.  For instance, a few weeks ago some malandros (thugs) got into a bus with a mobile credit card machine and they made everyone on the bus empty their bank accounts.  So, people say 'OK THIS IS IT! NOW IT'S REALLY THE LAST STRAW!' But nothing really happens. When things get really bad, the government distributes some food or do a concert and bring a couple of singers and some beers, and people forget about war, and they go back to their jobs the next day."

How secure was her connection to the outside world, Second Life and the Internet? Alejandra answered it was already occasionally sporadic due to the occasional lack of electric power, "we go without Internet sometimes a couple of days. Sometimes we have Internet but no electricity, water and gas fail too, we will be having water only twice a week, on Wednesday and Sunday night. It's all chaotic here."

Although her email was in the notecard, she asked that it not be used in the article as she could get in serious trouble if the Venezuelan government traced them to her. Anyone interested in helping her could contact her inworld for the information. How could others help her out? "Walmart gift cards, or Amazon. When you buy a gift card, it gives you the gift card number and a four number code. With those two details I can add it to my account and use it. It won't work for PayPal,  but it would would work for contacting me."

As many problems as she had, some which she wanted off the record, Alejandra's last message was one of well-wishes, "I want to wish you and all your readers a merry Christmas and may 2017 be a wonderful year for you and all you love."

And so we parted ways. A number of my Second Life and Facebook friends often complain about drama, or about sports. Several weeks after the US Presidential election, there are still no shortage of complaints from some about the results. It all seems so pale when talking to someone concerned about her daughter having enough to eat.

Alejandra recommended  A number of New York Times articles about her country's situation, including one about the currency crisis sparked by the government's strange policies, and of it's people trying to find work outside the country to bring home a little cash.

Alejandra's store is located at Pergola (158/9/22), she has a page on Marketplace, and has her own blog at http://wetherbysfashion.blogspot.com

Bixyl Shuftan

Interview with Alejandra Jumanya of Wetherby's

By Bixyl Shuftan

I recently interviewed Alejandra Jumanya. She is known on Second Life as the owner and clothes designer for the Wetherby's store, with the display name of Mrs. W. But what makes her time on the Grid even more notable is that she is able to come inworld and operate a business despite her real-life troubles in her home country of Venezuela.

"This has been my baby for 7 years," Alejandra told me of her store, "All this time, I wanted to bring some class to SL and to design, because it's a passion of mine."

She went on to say things have been rough lately, "About 10 days ago I made the resolution to close my store.  ... the past few months have been specially rough for me in real-life. Things have changed drastically, 2 years ago you could exchange $1 for Bs.4,30. Today you exchange $1 for Bs.800."

"That's quite a value drop," I commented.

"So my priorities have shifted," Alejandra stated, "Before I went on to close the store and open a new (one) ... more refined... with less objects, with higher prices.. and paying clientele... I thought maybe I should give it another shot at getting a bit more sales and trying not to close my shop. I was accepted in the SLF&O group, which has like 65,000 customers. And I made a plan to give (the store) a real second chance. If by December things don't change, then I will close and open a new shop."

"It is, I think, one day in Second Life, is like the equivalent to one week in real-life." She laughed a little,"One week in Second Life equal to one month in real-life, one year in SL is like ten in real-life ... regarding work and friendships."

"How did you find out about Second Life?" I asked. Alejandra answered, "On TV, there was an article on Anshe Chung, the virtual land baroness. I thought it would be fun.  This is actually my third avatar.  The first one I got, I tried a fox costume and I couldn't find a way to take it off.  The second time I couldn't get out of the newbie zone." "And the third time was the charm?" I asked. "Exactly," she answered. "I met some friends and together we were able to get rid of our newbie looks and into our trashy ones!"

"Why do you say they were 'trashy?' " I asked her. She answered, "Most clothes were trashy 7 years ago.  It was hard to find nice everyday clothes that made you look nice, elegant, simple and yet, beautiful. That's why I started the store and the 'freebie of the day.' I created a four story building with 8 mega prims, I would send a notice to a fashion group, rez my building in a sandbox and let it there for 4 hours until it was sent back.   That's how I got money to pay for my first week of rent.  I seriously didn't think I would last a month."

"Did you learn to make clothes," I asked, "or did you have a friend making them?" Alejandra answered, "Oh I made them!!! I made them with mismatching seems, necks larger one one side than the other and colors that faded on the wrong places.  Luckily I have improved since then.  But that's the beauty of Second Life. You are always learning something new. It's a great exercise for the mind.  Making mesh is as hard as it was learning to make clothes in SL back then."

"So you found mesh clothes a challenge?" I questioned. Her answer, "It is, I have no formal background as a designer, so to suddenly start working with Marvelous Designer, Zbrush, Maya, Mudbox, Rhino Gold and photoshop amongst other programs it's hard.  You will always be learning something new or a new way to do things faster and nicer."

"So what have been some of your more noted designs?" I asked next. Alejandra replied, "I made over 3000 designs so far, it would be almost impossible to choose.  But I do have some personal favorites.  It has been a wonderful journey."

Alejandra then began to describe some of her real-life difficulties, "The most difficult thing I find, when it comes to designing is to separate yourself from real-life and what is going on. I remember vividly almost two years ago, I was designing a beautiful red gown, with lace.  So feminine and exquisite.  While outside my window I could hear people screaming profanities at the National Guard Police, gunshots, tear gas coming into my home.  My daughter in her crib, sleeping quietly.  I sat there for a few seconds, not knowing if i should cry, keep designing or do something.  I finally snapped awake, took my daughter and sat in a mattress we had set in the hallway floor between the bedrooms we had set up for emergencies.  It is not safe to be near windows.  Sat there with the baby sleeping in my arms.  Once the gunshots were over, I put her back in her crib and I sat back in my computer.  After all that, how could I go back in the zone and create something beautiful? That's the hardest part of designing."
It took me some moments to respond, "That's quite an experience." "It is, indeed," she answered, "I normally take about six to eight hours waiting in the street every Saturday to buy food at the supermarket, and not what I want, but what I am so lucky to find.  So, when I get home, I am tired, both physically and emotionally to come to Second Life and finish that cute little black dress with large logo embossed dress i was working on the previous night.  But after a few hours, some warm tea and music, I am ready to start working."

"That sounds pretty tiring," I commented, then asked, "Have you met many others from  your country in Second Life?" "I belong to some Venezuelan groups," Alejandra answered, "and met a friend named Nazirah Avro, she is an amazing singer!!! But I think life is so hard here, we (Venezuelans) try to blend with people from other nationalities to be able feel and act like any other person here in SL."

"Interesting about the singer," I then switched to a topic related to her real-life, "You mentioned the inflation rate of your country earlier. Was that making it more difficult to do business in Second Life?

"It certainly changes things" she told me, "You should never negotiate in a position of weakness, the political and economical turns Venezuela is having in real-life, make you stand in a position of weakness.  Making SL money was a game for me a few years back, today (it) is the difference between my daughter having a Christmas present or not.  So I work harder, but also, I do it for the money, when before I did it just because I liked it.   That is stressful.  Basically what I do, is gather all my sales, and buy in America things that are very hard to get here, for instance baby shampoo, Tylenol, deodorant, sometimes toilet paper, clothes and toys for my daughter and ship them over to myself here, and do it again next year.   That is quite stressful."

My next question was, "Do you ever mention Second Life to your friends in real life?" Alejandra's answer was, "My husband knows, so does my best friend and my mother.  But it's not safe to tell people you make money in US currency, because others might get the wrong impression and you end up in a express kidnapping or even worst, one of your relatives."

My response was to wince, "Ouch, that's something we in North America don't usually think about, except worrying about our kids."

"Things are insane here," she told me, "For instance, Jails are handled by the prisoners.  They move the drugs, kidnappings, from jail.  They also have complete power inside the facility, only letting guards come into certain areas.  Some prisoners are 'fritos' which means they are weak and they must pay their PRAN (jail leader) a royalty every week if they want to stay alive.  Some jails are so big they have three or four prans.   One of this prans got an early release recently for 'good behaviour,' He slaughtered the other two prans days before he got out and left his brother in charge of the prison.  Now his brother gets married and throws an spectacular party inside prison. Prisons have nightclubs, booze, even pools."

"That's hard to imagine here in North America," I told her.

"Oh yes, things are crazy here," Alejandra went on, "My friend's neighbor goes out to the bakery for fresh bread, two blocks from his house.  He finds a friend and they stay to talk.  Two kids in a motorcycle tried to rob his friend and he tells the kids they need to listen to the Lord, because the Lord died for them! and they shot my friend's neighbor right in the neck, he tried running away from them and died in the middle of the street.  They made it very clear they don't like to be lectured."

"Two brothers, 22 and 28 years old, are in a McDonalds with their kids and wives. They came from the christening of one of their kids, the youngest was talking to his dad who lived in another city.  Two guys came into McDonalds to rob them. They brothers got nervous because their dad was listening on the other end, the thugs saw that and they shot them both, one was killed the other one on the way to the hospital.  Their dad was devastated."

"Things like that happen everyday.   A lady left her home at 2 AM to make a line to buy food, she carried with her Bs.2000 (roughly US$2,5) to buy government priced food for her three kids who she left alone at home.  On the way out a kid tries to rob her but she recognizes the kid and says 'Oscar, I know your mom, I knew you since you were a kid.' In the struggle, the kid shoots her in the arm (aiming to the heart) and then on her jaw (aiming to her brain), she played dead and he left.  She crawls back home, wakes up her kids, they call an ambulance that doesn't come, so they put the agonizing woman in a motorcycle and take her to the near medical center, with her jaw in several pieces.  I truly hope she was able to recover."

I was a bit of a loss for words, "Sounds like quite a mess. Any sign of improvement at all?

Alejandra simply answered, "I hope so."

After some moments of quiet, I broke the silence, "Well, I certainly hope that improves for you ...  assuming all goes well, what are your future plans for the store?"

"I'm not sure," she answered, "Things are changing drastically fast here.  What I would like to do is move to America with my family and start my own organic makeup line, which I already do in real-life here.  I make makeup from scratch using only organic fruits, veggies and minerals I extract from the soil myself and process at home.  I have been working on this for years now, and hopefully when we live in America I will be able to open my own makeup line. I guess I will always play Second Life, because I have so many friends here and I truly love designing, so I am not going anywhere, no matter where in the world I live."

"Well, hope those go as planned," I then asked one last question, "Was there anything else that you wanted to add?"

Alejandra answered, "I would like to thank you for this opportunity, and all my customers, thank you for your support and love.  You can join our group and get the freebie of the day here, or come visit us at our mainstore http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Pergola/158/9/22."

It was about this time the interview came to a close, "Thank you again Bixyl."

Alejandra's store is still running at Pergola (158/9/22), has a page on Marketplace, and has it's own blog at http://wetherbysfashion.blogspot.com .

Bixyl Shuftan