Today we’d like to introduce you to Gladys Vivas.
Hi Gladys, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I never like to talk about myself! That is a generational and cultural issue that people my age and that were living at the same time as me in my country will say. It sounds like I am arrogant. But this is an interview about me, so I better start to talk and tell you about myself. I was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1961, I am sixty years old. In the best family in the world, in the best country, and at the best time. Now, I know that we were very fortunate, but we did not know. We took it for granted! My father was a very intelligent engineer and my mom, mother of four children was a housewife. In my childhood, I did everything I wanted to do, and I had everything I needed and more. Our family had vacations all the time, and we used to shop a lot in different countries. I went to a very nice Catholic high school and two different universities, but I did not graduate, I missed only one year to finish my medical school, and I got married. At that time, I have to go and work in the family business for 16 years, be a mom and a wife. Businesses were ok, Venezuela was still ok, and I open another business. A traditional Venezuelan food restaurant and it was excellent from the beginning. I was keeping the two businesses floating until when Chavez won as a president and everything changed. Our great country went to the hands of the communist, and everything that was working fine started to fall apart. My husband was unfaithful, and my businesses were strongly to survive. Uncertain started to get into all Venezuelan minds, and slowly everything collapsed. Fortunately, I did have everything ready to go, passports, a little bit of money, and the complete permission of my husband to travel with the children since, at that point, he did not care about another thing only him. I took the decision to come to Orlando, the USA since we used to come here for vacation. My four children were little ones, and they enjoy to come to Orlando on Christmas vacation. As a tourist, we receive just smile from the people, but it was different when we came to live. It took a month to get a rental since I came, I became a single mother with four little kids, a Latin woman, and an alphabet. I was discriminated against even in the catholic church, and I am catholic! I did not know how hard, and how different my life will turn. Everything changed, but it was not only for me but for the whole Venezuelan nation. We lost our country! I do not have a country to go back to! Slowly but surely, with extreme work, sleeping two hours per day, and letting my children care to the divine God because I had to work three different horrible jobs and study to keep my status as an international student, we start our residence in the USA. Stories are many, and everything that I need to do to protect and take care of my kids. Remembering it make me very sad, I do not know how I did it. It was hard! This story is getting long, I continue, one day at a time, and I did not have time to think, I was just doing, doing, and doing. I did have nobody to ask, nobody that will advise me and care for me or the kids, just strange people around us. Finally, when someone rented me an apartment they charged me four months of rent as a deposit, it was at dean road. I was living day by day paycheck, and with my last 6000 dollars, I went to pay for my Massage Therapy school. They charged me everything I have in my account, and I knew if I did not pay it that day, and I spend one dollar, I will not be able to study. I was so extremely worried. Four children, no money, no regular job, and nobody to ask for help, my family in Venezuela could not send me money, and I could not use the Venezuelan credit card since the Venezuelan government stop the use of the credit card outside Venezuela. Those days happened things very strange, but that showed me that I was not completely alone. For example, I was ready to miss my rent payment since I did have no money, and a person that I meet at the supermarket, came to my home, I was very surprised, at 9:30 pm, and told me that she was the money caregiver at her church and that in the meeting they say they did not need some of the money, and they give her it to give it to me, 490 dollars. The same amount that I needed to pay for my monthly rent, and guess what, I did not tell her that I did not have my rent money, I did not say to her how much it was. But that month was paid. That night she brought me the money. It was the first time in my life that I received money from someone to help me, I was always the one helping the others, my friends, my family, and my workers, I was before the rich, and then, I became the poor. It was really hard to take that reality. At the same time, I was one Sunday working painting a house, and my oldest son Mario was helping me, the other kids stayed at home. after we finished my job, we were returning home, and we were very hungry, so I told him to stop in Subway for a sandwich, I did have 10 dollars in my package. We went into the store and started to order the sub, when I was almost to get in the cashier, I was looking for the ten dollars, it was the only thing I had, nothing else, I was looking for the money, but I could not find it. I was getting into a panic attack, I was ready to tell the worker that I was so sorry but that I did not have money to pay for it when I was just in from of the cashier, she told me: “You are the number 1000, and you just won the prize, your meal is completely free!” Before, I always have the money to pay for whatever I wanted, but I did not win any prize. My son Mario could understand what was happening. It was astonishing I could not believe what was happening! I went to the car, cut the sub in two, and started to eat it, and I need to understand what just happened in the store. I was not alone! Only God was there for me, never my children missed a meal, never my children were in a bad area, neither did they miss school or clothes, or something. My first year, at Christmas time in Orlando, I did not have money to buy them presents, and I was so desperate, that Friday at 6:30 am, I was going to Semoran Blvd, I remember very clear like it was today, I was going to my Massage Therapy school, and I was crying, I was already overwhelmed and I did not have any other card to play. I always have another card to play! But not at that moment, and I was crying out, asking God:” What I will do? Do I need to go back to Venezuela? I have no more money, nobody to help me, I am completely done. That day, the Massage Therapy school was like my spa. I was receiving massages from my classmates; they were practicing with me. I could not do something. I was exhausted. After school at 5 pm, I went straight to work, and the weekend passed very fast, I was working, painting, cleaning carpets, cleaning houses, and cleaning the rental car office at 2 am in the morning. Next Monday, I was starting my week, I dropped off my children at school and I was going to my classes, and I received a call. The principal of my twin’s school called me to inform me that they choose us to help us that year at Christmas. I did not know anyone at that school, and I did not tell anyone about our financial problems, but I was very mad with God the Friday before. How they knew it, I do not know, but that year, the only year that I need this help, I receive 7 gifts for each of my children, and they full my van with clothes and food for the entire month. Just what I needed to survive. My whole life had been a miracle, and there are many stories that I can tell you, but these ones are the most amazing ones. I do not know you, but I hope you believe me because I am not a liar. After a year passed, I got my license as a Massage Therapist, and I have been working on it since then. I went to work at Bay Hill Club and lodge, I was Mr. Arnold Palmer’s Full-time Massage Therapist, and I worked with a golf pro, members, and clients. Then, I created my own company and I worked in the west south of Orlando for almost 23 years. Rising my kids, working hard, and educating myself, have been my life, and my children are doing great. My oldest Mario is a mechanic in the USA Airforce, right now deploy in London, my second son Jorge is a brilliant young man working for Lockheed Martin as a Manager, and one of my twins is working full-time in the University and doing her Master’s degree in Business, and my younger one Vanessa is in Texas in the Navy, will be deployed in August to Italy, she also is searching for a master degree pay by the USA Navy. Life is good, life is better, and my children’s life is awesome! I hope you can understand my surviving English, I have been trying to improve it, but it is hard for me. Right now, I am finishing my AA at Valencia College. Also, I am managing a new business that I am opening with Jorge, and I am looking forward to continuing looking for something to do in my new country the United State of America. thank you
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I can imagine all immigrants in the same boat when we talk about the challenges along the way. In my case, my biggest challenge was to keep my children safe. My second challenge was learning the English language. Third, become an American citizen. Four, get a new career. In other words, get a new full life for me and my children in the new country. For me, letting my children alone in the apartment and go to work without knowing what will happen to them the whole day by themselves was super stressful. In Venezuela, I always have people helping me with my kids, and they never were alone, but here, I could not pay for daycare or pay someone to take care of them. It was horrible, I lose my children’s memories since they were always alone and without protection or guidance. They have to do the homework by themselves with nobody to help them. During the time that I was working and studying in the Massage Therapist school, I was also learning the English language, and today, after twenty-three years still my English is not well. So, difficult to learn a language after adult life. When I said becoming an American citizen, this is one of the worst things I have to fight hard for. The first year, I paid a lawyer to do all my children and my paperwork for immigration, he charged me more than 25000 dollars, and his diligence did not accomplish something for my status. I came as an international student to study English at UCF, a very expensive way to have the status. But the lawyer was trying to seduce me and make me pay not only with all my money but with something else. Only God knows how much I have to pay to be an American citizen. From a crazy lawyer to a crazy American husband, he woke me up with the fire alarms. He was using fire to wake the entire family up. It was a nightmare. If we continue to talk about challenges, I will never finish writing this interview. There were millions of challenges, problems, circumstances, and issues that we have to overcome to be able to come to this point. The following years were ten years of work for the immigration status, and a lot of my money and hard work, we have to work extra to be able to accomplish the finally American citizenship. We really choose to be in the USA, we really paid for it everything we have from Venezuela and everything we made over here, but just on time, my children had the papers to continue to study in college and the Universities and to be able to work in very important government jobs. Moreover, since I study for four years in the medical school in Venezuela, and the Massage Therapy school was the only thing I could afford, I had to learn the language and the career at the same time, and because I did not the medical terminology that helps me to pass the tests and be able to graduate and make a career of it. Also, building my credit in America was a challenge, creating a new network was difficult and made the people trust me since I am a Latin woman. And so on…
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I always looking for more, I like to give my 100% in everything I do, everywhere I go I make the place change, and most of the time people are jealous of me since I do my own life. I do not wait for someone else to change my life. Even if I am doing massages and perhaps for some people this is not an important job, for me it is, and I treat my patient and client with respect, giving them everything I got in each therapy. I am proud of myself since I had the vision on time that Venezuela was in the wrong direction, and I act diligently and fast to put my children out of Venezuela at the right time. I did not think about what I was losing, my extended family, my friends, my wonderful comfort and network, my money, my companies, my husband, everything, I lose everything. I did what was necessary to do. I hold on to my faith, my family values, and my courage to survive and keep going. My career is recognized, I have clients from twenty years that can give me references, I was giving massages for very honorable and known people like Arnold Palmer and Jack O’Neal. At this moment doctors refer patients to me for after-surgical care, lymphedema treatments, sports injury, and regular relaxation massages. Still, I have many things to accomplish, and still, my life is on. Let’s see what else I can do.
What does success mean to you?
I am romantic in this definition; if you love what you are doing and can laugh about it, that is a success. If people are happy about what you do, that is a success. Success is an ongoing process never ends and always is transforming and changing. Accomplish one day at a time, and control your body to do not fall when it does not have any more energy to continue, and continue, and continue, is a success. Perseverance is a success. Do not allow yourselves to fail is a success. Keep your brain, mind, and soul straight when everything else is completely destroyed it is a success!
Contact Info:
- Website: atherapies.com
