6 ms·

I'm a Software Engineer born and raised in Venezuela. I moved to Canada one year ago. Ask me anything!

fiatjaf 11y ago
Since when were you experimenting shortages on Venezuela? How serious are these shortages? Do small shops survive in Venezuela? How?
- rickitan 11y ago
  The shortages are extremely serious at this moment. We're having a humanitarian crisis because medicines can't be found, people use social media to ask for medicines. The government limited the days where you can go to the super market to the last digit of the "Social Security Number". So if yours end in 0 or 1 then you must buy on Monday. And nothing guarantees that you will find what you're looking for. Lines outside supermarkets take 2 hours or more and they only sell you a limited amount of items. 1 Chicken per week. The government also installed finger print scanners to make sure that you don't buy more than you're allowed. All this measures are failing and will fail, because the problem is that they destroyed the private industry making us heavily relay on imports. Now that the price of the oil is down there is not enough money to import, so there's simply not enough food, medicines, etc.
  - fiatjaf 11y ago
    What about the small business? :P
- rickitan 11y ago
  Small business are on their knees. They are just surviving and living paycheck by paycheck. They sell whatever they get access too. Their profits are worth nothing in dollars (if they manage to have profits). An inflation projected to be 700% this year makes it extremely hard to survive, you need to adjust your prices every hour. Nobody is doing well in Venezuela, except the corrupt people in the government who keep stealing money.
rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
You should spin this off into a separate thread. I think it would be very interesting. But if you don't, I'd like to know what it was like before 2006, when oil profits were high and subsidies followed. Did you get a sense the poor were significantly improving in their standard of living at that time? What about the middle class? If not, what do you think held them back?
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
chromaton 11y ago
Would you suggest Venezuela for a vacation right now? It looks like a dollar would go a long way.
- mercurial 11y ago
  Look at the crime stats in Venezuela and think again.
- ipince 11y ago
  Not at all. It's too unsafe, and the tourism industry is not good either. If you still want to go, do so with a local. That way you'll reduce risk quite significantly.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- rickitan 11y ago
  Answering this question has been harder than I thought. I hate to say "Don't go to my country right now". But I've to be honest, I don't think it's worth the risk visiting right now due to crime, robbery, murders, kidnaps and more.. Even though a dollar will go a long way, your life is worth a lot more.. Hopefully things will get better soon you will be able to see the Angel Falls and Los Roques with your own eyes!
- ma5sudaca 11y ago
  Don't go. Venezuela has many beautiful sights to see, unfortunately now is not the time. Wait some years and check again.
apo 11y ago
It's 2013. Let's say you were economically literate, had a significant pot of money to protect, and were concerned about the direction the country was taking. What would have been the best way to protect that pot of money, and how hard would it have been to do it?
- rickitan 11y ago
  The best way to protect the money would have been to buy US dollars on the black market. Another way would have been to buy a car, motorcycle, alcohol, etc. Anything that preserves it's value over time. The worst thing would be to have it on the bank.
aristus 11y ago
Oye, chamo. :) My wife wants to visit Caracas with our son in the summer, to see family. Last time we were there was 2008, when the "fuerte" was 8:1 and we witnessed two carjackings. I think it's a terrible idea to go back, even for a week or two. What do you think?
- rickitan 11y ago
  It's definitely not safe. But it's very hard to stop visiting family. Just avoid public places, don't go out during the night and stay with your family.
soperj 11y ago
What do you think of Canada(and where in Canada are you?)
- pmelendez 11y ago
  Not OP but in a similar (almost exact) situation and living in the Great Toronto Area. So far... loving Canada :)
- rickitan 11y ago
  I'm currently living in Montreal. I love Canada and all the opportunities it offers. People are very friendly and it's extremely multicultural! But my heart will always be in Venezuela.
  - soperj 11y ago
    Can I ask why Canada exactly? Also, Winter isn't usually this tame hahaha.
pmelendez 11y ago
Another fellow living in Canada since 5 years ago... How are you doing? :)
fiatjaf 11y ago
What do you say about the "free hospitals" someone else mentioned here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11028310 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11028310 ?

Since when were you experimenting shortages on Venezuela? How serious are these shortages? Do small shops survive in Venezuela? How?

rickitan 11y ago
The shortages are extremely serious at this moment. We're having a humanitarian crisis because medicines can't be found, people use social media to ask for medicines. The government limited the days where you can go to the super market to the last digit of the "Social Security Number". So if yours end in 0 or 1 then you must buy on Monday. And nothing guarantees that you will find what you're looking for. Lines outside supermarkets take 2 hours or more and they only sell you a limited amount of items. 1 Chicken per week. The government also installed finger print scanners to make sure that you don't buy more than you're allowed. All this measures are failing and will fail, because the problem is that they destroyed the private industry making us heavily relay on imports. Now that the price of the oil is down there is not enough money to import, so there's simply not enough food, medicines, etc.
- fiatjaf 11y ago
  What about the small business? :P
rickitan 11y ago
Small business are on their knees. They are just surviving and living paycheck by paycheck. They sell whatever they get access too. Their profits are worth nothing in dollars (if they manage to have profits). An inflation projected to be 700% this year makes it extremely hard to survive, you need to adjust your prices every hour. Nobody is doing well in Venezuela, except the corrupt people in the government who keep stealing money.

rm_-rf_slash 11y ago

You should spin this off into a separate thread. I think it would be very interesting. But if you don't, I'd like to know what it was like before 2006, when oil profits were high and subsidies followed. Did you get a sense the poor were significantly improving in their standard of living at that time? What about the middle class? If not, what do you think held them back?

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

chromaton 11y ago

Would you suggest Venezuela for a vacation right now? It looks like a dollar would go a long way.

mercurial 11y ago
Look at the crime stats in Venezuela and think again.
ipince 11y ago
Not at all. It's too unsafe, and the tourism industry is not good either. If you still want to go, do so with a local. That way you'll reduce risk quite significantly.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
rickitan 11y ago
Answering this question has been harder than I thought. I hate to say "Don't go to my country right now". But I've to be honest, I don't think it's worth the risk visiting right now due to crime, robbery, murders, kidnaps and more.. Even though a dollar will go a long way, your life is worth a lot more.. Hopefully things will get better soon you will be able to see the Angel Falls and Los Roques with your own eyes!
ma5sudaca 11y ago
Don't go. Venezuela has many beautiful sights to see, unfortunately now is not the time. Wait some years and check again.

apo 11y ago

It's 2013. Let's say you were economically literate, had a significant pot of money to protect, and were concerned about the direction the country was taking. What would have been the best way to protect that pot of money, and how hard would it have been to do it?

rickitan 11y ago
The best way to protect the money would have been to buy US dollars on the black market. Another way would have been to buy a car, motorcycle, alcohol, etc. Anything that preserves it's value over time. The worst thing would be to have it on the bank.

aristus 11y ago

Oye, chamo. :) My wife wants to visit Caracas with our son in the summer, to see family. Last time we were there was 2008, when the "fuerte" was 8:1 and we witnessed two carjackings. I think it's a terrible idea to go back, even for a week or two. What do you think?

rickitan 11y ago
It's definitely not safe. But it's very hard to stop visiting family. Just avoid public places, don't go out during the night and stay with your family.

soperj 11y ago

What do you think of Canada(and where in Canada are you?)

pmelendez 11y ago
Not OP but in a similar (almost exact) situation and living in the Great Toronto Area. So far... loving Canada :)
rickitan 11y ago
I'm currently living in Montreal. I love Canada and all the opportunities it offers. People are very friendly and it's extremely multicultural! But my heart will always be in Venezuela.
- soperj 11y ago
  Can I ask why Canada exactly? Also, Winter isn't usually this tame hahaha.

pmelendez 11y ago

Another fellow living in Canada since 5 years ago... How are you doing? :)

fiatjaf 11y ago

What do you say about the "free hospitals" someone else mentioned here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11028310 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11028310 ?