Patarepa restaurant, a Venezuelan cuisine establishment located in the San Gregorio neighborhood of Telde, opened its doors this Thursday with deep concern. Its owners, Juan Barreto, Déberlys, and Débora, have experienced the world-shocking events with surprise, holding onto the hope that their loved ones are safe.
Juan Barreto recounted the difficulty in obtaining initial information. "We left the business last night at eleven. A few minutes later, the earthquakes must have occurred in our country, but we had no information," he explained. Communication was complicated by the already difficult internet connection in Venezuela, but fortunately, they were able to quickly contact their family, including parents, siblings, and nephews, who reside between Caracas and the state of Yaracuy, the earthquake's epicenter.
“"If it's already difficult to contact Venezuela daily, now it will be even worse. I went to bed not knowing anything, and when I woke up, my phone was flooded with messages."
Although they are serving their regular clientele at Patarepa, Juan, Déberlys, and Débora's minds are focused on their homeland. "What they told us was that everything started shaking terribly. Some relatives were in their cars, and others in their homes. Fortunately, ours are well, but the images reaching us are terrible," they commented, visibly affected by the situation.
