Flavia Salima Marcano, then 10, was sad and excited for the surprise vacation her parents planned. She didn’t like leaving her family and friends in Venezuela, but she looked forward to visiting her cousins and aunt who lived in the United States.

What Salima Marcano didn’t know was that the “vacation” was permanent — and that her family was about to leave everything they knew behind. Daniela and Frank Salima were scared to tell their two young children the truth.

The Salimas were not in support of the Venezuelan government. Both Daniela and Frank were college-educated and had successful careers, but they were unhappy with the changes coming into place. Groceries became difficult to purchase. They realized that they were not going to be able to pay the next school year’s tuition for Flavia or her younger brother Fabio. Not being able to send their kids to their private school was the turning point.

“I told Frank, ‘Ok it is time to think of a plan B,’” Daniela Marcano Latuff said.

Just like it is today, leaving Venezuela was not easy in 2017. Sometimes the Venezuelan government separated families at the airport so they could question kids on the reason for their travels.

Pretending the move was a vacation was the only way to keep the family safe and keep from risking the family’s chance to escape the country in turmoil. Since 2014, 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the country, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

When the family arrived in the United States, they sought political asylum. Their case continues pending, which allows them to live and work legally in the U.S. Though that brought relief to their parents, the kids thought they were still on vacation.

It took Flavia less than a month to realize the stay was permanent. She made the connection when her mom and dad started telling her that they were looking at soccer clubs she could join in the United States.

“I was mad,” Flavia said. “I was sad. I was everything but happy.”

It took Flavia’s younger brother, Fabio, even longer to realize what had happened.

When Fabio’s parents told him they were also looking for a new soccer club for him, he reassured them that they didn’t have to worry about that. He said he would just wait to play soccer again in Venezuela once their vacation ended.

That was really difficult for his mother to hear, partly because she wished it was true. She hoped things in her birth country would improve soon.

“I thought maybe this is not going to be for a long time,” Daniela Marcano Latuff said.

Marcano Latuff described their life in Venezuela as “perfect.” The family had a big house and lived quite comfortably before the political destruction.

“What I wish people would understand about Venezuela, is that it is one of the most beautiful countries in the world with some of the most nice and warm people,” she said. “Believe me, most of us in some way were obligated to leave the country to preserve our lives and our loved one’s lives.”

In the United States, the family started from scratch. Flavia, Fabio and their parents lived with their aunt in Kingwood for three months.

It was difficult for the family to acclimate to the United States, especially because of the language barrier.

Daniela had a bachelor’s degree in administration. Frank Salima had a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with a master’s in mechanical maintenance. Finding a job was a challenge, however. In their early months in the States, Marcano Latuff worked at McDonald’s while her husband worked at a nearby car wash.

They focused on their goal of building a safe life for their kids.

The children were enrolled in Woodlands Hills Elementary, where they started to learn English while making friends. By November 2017, the family was able to rent their own apartment.

As the humanitarian crisis continued in Venezuela, the Salima Marcano family realized there was no going back. It took Fabio almost a year until he realized that Kingwood was now his home.

“I thought we were just coming here for a vacation, but after we had stayed here for a year I asked when we were going back,” Fabio said. “They told me it was permanent.”

Even though the family can’t return to Venezuela even for visits, they continue to celebrate their culture. They speak Spanish at home and often make traditional Venezuelan meals.

In 2021, the family was able to apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). TPS gives the family more security in the United States, even making it easier as Flavia started applying to colleges and filling out scholarship applications.

Frank and Daniela Salima could not have predicted what life would be like seven years after they first boarded their flight from Venezuela.

Daniela currently works as a proposal coordinator for Oceaneering, and Frank started his own small construction company.

Their kids are well adjusted at Kingwood Park. Flavia and Fabio are both in the highest level of English for their grade levels, as well as other advanced classes.

As a senior, Flavia is taking college-level Chemistry and English, while also taking AP Calculus AB. She is also a captain of the girls soccer team, and the president of the Spanish National Honor Society.

“We are blessed to have the opportunity to be here and have the chance to [give] our kids a better life,” Daniela Marcano Latuff said. “That is priceless.”

Flavia hopes to earn a degree in electrical or mechanical engineering like her father. She has big dreams of repaying her parents for the sacrifices they have made for her and her brother.

“It’s not something that stresses me out, but I do wanna give them what they gave me and more in the future,” Flavia said. “I’m confident that I will.”