If you ever find yourself at Monastiraki make sure you visit Teresa’s ’T-Shirt Shop’ located on Pandrosou Street. Apart from being able to make -at very competitive prices- your own t-shirt or hoodie, you will also get to know Teresa, a very kind and charming person.
Teresa, along with her two minor daughters, decided to leave Venezuela and move to Greece back in 2004. Back in the day, the circumstances in her country were not as bad as nowadays.
Today crisis-striken Venezuela is descending into chaos. Poverty, food and medicine shortages as well as looting and everyday violent clashes drive more and more locals out of the country.
‘My family recently emigrated to neighbouring Brazil, in the city of Manaus specifically. Brazil is a huge country, with a lot of diversity and with lots of opportunities. It is for sure a better and safer place to be, at the moment’ Teresa said.
Teresa is originally from Maracaibo, the second biggest city of Venezuela. She loves and misses her hometown, as well as her country, however she’s not willing to go back, at least not yet.
‘My daughters (aged 17 and 16 today) attend a school for foreigners here in Athens. They are studying hard to make it to the university. My oldest daughter want to study Medicine, while the other prefers the Spanish Philology. Some time ago she was thinking of studying in Venezuela, however she no longer thinks about it. I would not let her go anyway, it’s way too dangerous over there’ Teresa added.
Today, 17 years after her arrival in Greece, Teresa doesn’t feel like a stranger anymore, rather she feels completely Greek. She is fluent in greek and she is married to a Greek man.
‘I love Greece and it saddens me to see this wonderful country going through such rough times. Greeks and Venezuelans share many things in common, we are both warm, friendly, gracious and simple people. Also, we both suffer because of our corrupt politicians. Greece and Venezuela are two beautiful, blessed and rich countries. It’s such a pity to see our people begging for food or for a job. Something needs to be done, that’s just not ok at all’.
THE T-SHIRT SHOP
