Hello, I am Ana López, I am a 29-year-old architect. I was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela and up to this day, I still live here. I remember being very happy during my childhood, I grew up in a family of divorced parents, which is why my grandmother Rosario took care of me while my mom went out to work. Rosario was the grandmother that every child would like to have; she was always a great example to follow, from a very young age she worked hard to become someone and she did it, she became the secretary of the rector of La Universidad del Zulia (the University of Zulia), with her great effort she was able to buy her own house and I think that for anyone this is very significant.
My grandmother always taught me good manners and all the time she stressed the importance of studying, she would tell me that one day I would see the fruits of my labor, and she was very right. Rosario died of cancer months before my graduation and her last words were: “Forgive me, I won’t be able to be at your graduation.” I am not a very religious person but I cling to her whenever I am afraid or on those days when I feel like I want to throw in the towel and she may not be the reason, but in the end, everything always works out.
I graduated as an architect in December 2012, by that time it was already very difficult to find a job and much more a good one, but I did it. To my surprise, I received a call from a person saying “Hi Ana, this is Alex Velásquez from JAVC Arquitectos, your number was given to me by Sofia and we want to interview you. Are you available?” A friend from the university had recommended me and without hesitation, I said yes.
I was 22 at the time and clearly felt like I was eating the world
That was how the following Monday, at 9 am I went to my interview, I felt super good, my coworkers were young and they were willing to help me. I went through a trial month and after this, Claudia, one of my bosses said to me: “Ana, we want you to stay, would you like to?”, And of course, I said YES! I was 22 at the time and clearly felt like I was eating the world.
After the death of my grandmother, the economic situation in my house was not the best, but I had a good job and so I was able to help my mother and especially my brothers since it was me who was paid for their school. I worked in this company from 2013 to 2017, I remember that they would always tell me they liked my work and gave us free Fridays if we fulfilled everything that was scheduled for the week. I was happy, and I could even travel to Europe for a month thanks to the fruits of my labor. Do you know how difficult that can be for a 23-year-old Venezuelan girl?
Despite this, and very sadly, the situation in Venezuela was getting worse every day, and although we were still working on ambitious projects, the economy was beginning to collapse, and that’s how, in the midst of this context, my boss Claudia decided to use her Colombian nationality to go to Medellín to complete postgraduate studies and work with us remotely. A year later, my other boss, Héctor, decided to go to Argentina with his wife.
Little by little, that job where I had been so happy, began to fade
Only one of my bosses, Álex, stayed in Venezuela; there were many important gaps to fill, and little by little, that job where I had been so happy, began to fade. I had the best bosses and coworkers and we are all still great friends today even though each one of us has taken a different path.
I don’t remember in which year I met Luigi, my current business partner, but I do remember having a conversation with him in a bazaar at the Intercontinental Hotel just around the time when I saw my dream job slowly fade away. In this conversation, I told him that I wanted to leave the country because I knew that finding a job like that one would be very difficult.
Is there anything better than having my own company?
Life (or my grandmother) surprised me again when one day Luigi and Andrés told me that they wanted to talk to me. I remember that we met in a café and they proposed that I became a member of their company (Luxo Group), since they needed someone to be in charge of the architecture area. Obviously I said yes. Is there anything better than having my own company?
At the beginning we didn’t have an office, I worked from home, something similar to what I have to do today. I managed to speak to the people of the Chamber of Commerce to rent an office at their headquarters. Coincidentally, my old office was located there, and not only did they say yes, but they also gave me the same office that I used before at JAVC Arquitectos, it was as if I had never left, I was still in my comfort zone, with the difference that now I was my own boss.
We only had an air conditioner, a plastic table, and four chairs and still felt that we were making it. I remember that at that time, we designed the office of a very famous event decorator of our city, Vicente Izarra. He trusted in us even though we knew we had nothing more to offer than a plastic table and four chairs, and over time, he became a great friend of ours.
One day, a client from my old office told me that he had a project in mind and that since he already knew my work, he wanted me to be the architect in charge. We met, he met my new partners and that’s how Forno Rosso was born, and from that moment I don’t remember that we stopped working at any time until the pandemic arrived. Step by step we managed to set the office we have today, we went from having plastic chairs to being able to offer Nespresso to a client or a friend who visited us.
We started a campaign to give something back to our city
On March 5 of this year, we inaugurated a new cafe, and in parallel, we started a campaign to give something back to our city by refreshing La Plaza de la República (famous square in the city of Maracaibo). Our proposal was so successful that the mayor contacted us to congratulate us for it; Our friends, family and even people we did not know began to follow us on Instagram and left us comments that filled us with much happiness.
However, a week later, Nicolás Maduro decreed the quarantine in Venezuela and all that euphoria vanished until when we decided that we could not falter, that we had to continue. Yes, we’ve had to reinvent ourselves; we went from being in an office from 9 am to 8 pm, to working from home, which actually has not been that bad for me since, although I am not in my office, despite the situation we are going through, we have completed new projects and we have not stopped working.
Living in Venezuela is not easy, there are days when you feel like you can eat the world, as it was for me on March 5, and suddenly, the following week the pandemic came in, screaming at me to stop being creative, but I think that in the end, it is up to you to decide to be someone who goes beyond the situation.
Despite this, it has been good to find out that not only am I good as an architect but also that I have a passion for cooking
I will not say that there are no bad days, spending so much time between four walls is frustrating, but despite this, it has been good to find out that not only am I good as an architect, since in this quarantine I also discovered my passion for cooking, especially desserts. I may not see it as a job, but it has been a good source of distraction that has helped me keep my peace in the face of so many changes.
I certainly have no idea when this will all end and when will we be able to get back to normal, but what I have learned the most is to be patient, something that used to be very difficult to me. Today I am grateful to all those who have been part of my path and above all, I am proud of what I have achieved. To all young people like me, I would like to tell you, even if you live in Venezuela, or anywhere else in the world where achieving your goals and fulfilling your aspirations sometimes seems impossible, to never stop trying. Believe me that when I tell you that everything can be achieved through hard work, I mean it very seriously.
Translated by: Pascual Díaz
