Middle-class migration people from South America (Bolivia)

Introduction
My name is Enrique Herbas, I’m 42 years old, with my wife Carolina,(who would loved to be here now) are part of MIAMSI for the past 15 years.

We live in Bolivia and have three wonderful children, Sofia, Florencia and Lucas.

Our community is called the Corinthians and when we started together, almost all of us, were married couples, without children yet. We used to be called “youth group”, we liked that then… now too.

I will briefly tell the story of five couples in our MIAMSI group. They are stories of close friends (we considered ourselves, us bloody brothers and sisters), nice histories engraved in our hearts.

Corinthians testimonies

Seven year ago, in Bolivia, we had many protests and blockades of farmers who began to frighten country people with intercultural and racial violence. On 2001 our group as a movement did a “life check up” analyzing a person's self-affirming (living in the social independent environment), comment: “…I can’t stand my country any more; I’m going to live somewhere else”.

Since then, the Corinthians spend whole nights, talking about what was our motivation to stay in Bolivia, should we start looking for another country to live?, Why migrate?, What for?, how to do that?... We were so concerned that we thought deeply about it, all these challenges, our own values, the meaning and relevance of our own lifes and our life projects... Everyone wondered: What do I seek for my family and what does Jesus said about it?

Each family had its own complex process according to their own family; it was very hard, but with God and courage it was full of illusions too.

The Brockmann-Medinacelli’s family (Henry and Claudia) with two small children, migrated to Costa Rica. They were the first family to leave Bolivia. Henry is a brilliant System Engineer. He was frustrated because in Bolivia he couldn’t develop professionally, while being well paid and valued also as a human been. In each contest or special project that he was on charge, he had to fight against the corruption he had around. Tired of his job and this corrupt situation, he looked for the best way to immigrate with his family to another country. He earned a scholarship to pursue an MBA at INCAE University; the rest of the money was lent from relatives and friends. He finished his two years studies and then the University offered him an employment contract to stay in Costa Rica. They are happy, but “home sick” missing their family and friends.

Cecilia Aguirre and Juan Carlos Vasquez de Velasco with two small children migrated to Canada. Both were brilliant advertisement professionals and graphic designers. She was a successful business woman running her advertising agency. He worked at an international graphic design enterprise. Neither was missing work or income, but they began feeling that if they stay in Bolivia, their children wouldn’t find good opportunities; they also felt insecure, with many constraints, limitations and restrictions as a family. Professionals with extensive experience and knowledge of foreign languages, applied to a special migration program for Canada. It was hard for them to start “a new life” in a new homeland but now they are all doing well, they are happy, their family is close and they have good jobs.

Jorge Abela and Patricia Vacaflor with three daughters, the oldest 15, and the smallest 10. Last year they tried to migrate to the United States, but since they could not get the American Visa for the whole family they decided to stay together in Bolivia. Jorge is an electronic engineer and has an MBA. He keeps dreaming to have a PHD in statistics and become a University professor.

Patricia studied Business Administration and Marketing in Mexico. Both are excellent professionals, they always have struggled looking for their professional dreams and had not missed work in Bolivia, but somehow they have accumulated frustrations because of the limitations at their jobs and the lack of opportunities of professional development. They started to have a strange sensation… they appeared to feel not-identified with Bolivia and its culture, it's hard to feel as a stranger in their own land, so they decided to migrate to USA. Patricia had an employment contract and went to New Jersey (as a training plan). In Bolivia Jorge remained with his three daughters; they were separated for six months, hoping to be able to migrate together. The Company where Patricia was working received some concerns of the Department of Migrating of USA and the company didn’t support the idea. She decided to return to Bolivia without achieving their goal for which were slaughtered. It was hard, as well as enriching.

Ricardo Forno and Carolina Medeiros have two children. Ricardo is a Physical University professor, he teaches and does research in the University. Carolina is a teacher and she teaches at a private school. Both share the desire to continue living and working in peace in Bolivia. They are people whose sense of civic commitment and solidarity is an example for the community.

My wife Carolina studied History; she is Bolivian-Argentine . For more than twelve years she is working in textbooks productions, her goal is to help with the development of the Bolivian education. I am a civil engineer, a partner at a consulting firm. For now we want to continue living in Bolivia.

As you can tell, from five families in our MIAMSI community, two migrated; one tried to do it but couldn’t. Two families wish to keep living in Bolivia. Those who left to other countries celebrate their right to migrate. The ones who stay in Bolivia wish to look for respect to their own rights for not to migrate.

Conclusions

Positive signs from our experiences:

Migrating as a family.- A beautiful thing is that all of the five cases I told, had their main concern on their family, the ones that left, gone all together, the one who wanted to migrate but couldn’t come back only because she couldn’t have her family united.

We believe, this as the Nazareth Family, if it is necessary to go to a foreign country, no one should stay behind, instead they should strengthen themselves and live the adventure together.

Life project.- The migrating experience requires courage and decision, is full of illusion, hope and scary situations. In our community, we keep thinking on our projects and our values. The possibility of migrate had obliged us to answer, very important questions. There is no perfect decision, but when we analyze our life we grow, even more if we contrast it with our evangelical values.

Humanizing the globalization.- I assure you, that all our brothers and sisters Corinthian, who now live in Canada or Costa Rica, they are giving all what they have to make a better world. They are wonderful families, that will probably give evangelical values to the society that now embraces them, and I am sure that all they meet will be blessed with them.

Open spots.- Another way to look at this brilliant professionals migration, is that in Bolivia, we will soon need to train new ones. So it could be good for the ones who are getting trained to be able to reach at places that wouldn’t been able- powerful places- if the ones who migrate were still here.

Being humble.- This migrating experiences requires that we open ourselves to the “different” and to think on what we believe is true. Learn from new cultures, not been so sure of what we think we know, learning to walk in the garden of all humankind, without thinking that we are the owners of the land, being open to learn from others and giving joy where ever that God let us live.

Enrique Herbas. La Paz – Bolivia. MIAMSI XII AG Malta octubre 2008.