There are moments in life when we find ourselves at a crossroads, we are presented with the need to make a choice and we don't quite know which path to take, but in the end we always decide, maybe not in the best way, but once the dice are thrown there is no turning back.
I finished my studies to become a teacher in 1975, I was twenty-one years old. At that time the country was enjoying great prosperity due to the increase in oil prices.
The government of the time had proposed to make a great educational investment to modernize the country, and for this purpose it created the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho scholarship plan.
This plan consisted in giving scholarships to young graduates to go abroad for postgraduate studies for a period of up to three years, which could be extended if the country had a language other than Spanish.
The scholarship was complete, covering everything: university fees, residence, food, health expenses and other complements so that the person could focus on his or her studies.
Among the priority areas of the program was education. Graduates of the Pedagógico de Caracas had priority. Before graduating, we were given a survey to find out if we were interested in the program.
I filled out that survey without any expectations, in fact I had never imagined leaving the country for another faraway place, studying abroad was not in any of my plans.
To my surprise, I was notified that I had been awarded a scholarship to do graduate studies in Geography, my field of study, in the city of Strasbourg, east of Paris, France. The initial time of the scholarship was foreseen for three years.
At that time I was about to start my first teaching job. The Ministry of Education had assigned me to a high school in Mariara, a small rural town in the state of Carabobo. Since I would be financially independent, I had talked to my girlfriend about getting married.
I told my girlfriend about the scholarship and she encouraged me to take it, she thought it was a great opportunity for me. I did the paperwork and even got my first passport. However, I kept thinking about what would happen to us. Three or more years without seeing each other again seemed like an eternity.
One day I was notified by mail, the letter carrier's mail, not the electronic mail, that I had to confirm to send me the tickets. I kept looking at that piece of paper. I kept it in my pocket waiting for my mind to clear, I knew that doubt could not last long.
After a week I showed the notification to my girlfriend, the time for confirmation had expired. I had not had the courage to undertake that new life. I would not travel abroad or do graduate studies in France.
Soon after we decided to settle in Maracay, we had a nice life together for fifteen years, and from that union we had two children. In the end we separated.
If I had gone to graduate school, my life might have been very different, I would have returned to work in planning programs in some government office, that was the commitment that was acquired as a scholarship holder of that program. Maybe I would never have worked as a high school teacher. But all that is just speculation. With the decision I made, I was able to have a life that has turned out quite well for me.
Fortunately, my children did not turn out to be fearful, but much braver than I was. In 2007, the third one, at the age of twenty-two, made the decision to go to Spain. He did not like the direction our country was taking and wanted to look for better alternatives. Six years later, the second one made the same decision, things had gotten much worse. In 2018 my youngest daughter left, she was also twenty-two years old....
To the three of them I have a deep admiration, I deeply respect the step they took. The decision they made is perhaps the most difficult that any person can make.
I am publishing this post motivated by the initiative proposed by my friend @ericvancewalton, Memoir Monday, in the fifty one week. For more information click on the link.
Thank you for your time.
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