A Month in Caracas

i actually wrote this sometime last week, but didnt get to post it before the cyber closed...so here it is now...

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So i´ve been in Caracas, Venezuela for a month now. It was a bit rocky at first, as I had a slight problem with my ticket during the transfer in Costa Rica, so it wasn´t as cheap to get down here as I had originally planned. But still, it´s quite amazing how cheap it is to fly from New York or New Jersey to Caracas. If you´re planning to go to South America sometime, try looking for flights to Caracas first and then a transfer to wherever else you´re going, and then compare that with fares that don´t have a Caracas transfer.

So, after arriving in Caracas and passing through customs without any questions asked, which is quite lucky I´ve been told, I was greeted by Danilo and Mercedes, who have been my wonderful hosts up to this point. I originally met Danilo and his daughter, Maria, in Guadalajara, Mexico, where I was taking a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course and where Danilo was attending an international book fair to get the latest architecture books for his business in Venezuela and Colombia. I walked them to an OXXO (Mexico's 7-11) on their first night, and found out that Danilo, although being 62, is trying to learn English for fun, and he was and is doing quite well considering he has been learning purely from listening to books on tape. Maria has taken some classes as well, and she's doing excellent too, although they both struggle with understanding English at full speed and with all of the idiomatic expressions and verbs combined with every possible preposition. I´m glad I learned English as my first language, even though it's quite difficult to remember to use all of the correct verb conjugations in Spanish during conversations. As for my language abilities, I´m doing well. Some days I stop and think that I never imagined being in this situation, being able to converse, albeit somewhat limitedly, in all manner of situations with different people. Other days, when I hear someone new speak and can´t understand a word, literally, I feel the mountain of progress I have to make. But, as they say here, poco a poco.

So, as for life here in Caracas, it has been good for a number of reasons. I feel a part of the family here. Danilo, Mercedes, and Maria have treated me kinder than would seem possible. They include me in everything, have incredible patience with my Spanish, try to help me learn more, and show me great affection. In addition, they pay for everything, as they've told me that my ATM card won't work in the ATMs even though they have a Visa symbol because President Chavez made it so that US dollars can't be exchanged in the country. It's good that I'm here for the political education because I'm learning a few things about Chavez that I don't like, although I have to confirm all of it, for example, that he rewrote the constitution to allow himself to be reelected for 30 some years. He still has to be elected, but Danilo said that he is on a list of people who didn't vote for Chavez, or perhaps that have declared their opposition to him. And supposedly the literacy education programs are really communist education films with a strong anti-US slant. I have to check it all, but I wouldn't be surprised. Chavez strikes me as quite an extreme character, just like the nut we have in office at home. It's actually a shame if he's wasting an opportunity to use the wealth of the country for good things because he's going to give ammunition to the already narrowminded extreme right in the States. I still think, as I've thought for awhile, that having a social democracy would probably solve more economic and social problems than a completely capitalist or socialist state. Socialism with liberty as I've heard it said before.

In any case, I haven't kept up with politics very much this month. My internet time is limited as I basically go when the family goes and for the same time that they go, so if they go for a half hour that's what I have, and I try to get through my emails and whatever else I need in that time, hence the lag in putting up this entry. During the days I usually spend an hour or so tutoring Maria in English, although it really depends on what the family is doing that day, as they might have errands or something to do with a friend or whatever. But during the day we speak some in English and some in Spanish, which is good for both of us. When Danilo isn't on a business trip, we do the same with him. I basically speak all Spanish with Mercy, although she has learned a few phrases, such as "Get out of my kitchen!," or the abbreviated "Out of my kitchen!," or the Spanglish versions "Fuera de mi kitchen" and "Out of mi cocina," etc, for when I get caught washing the dishes when she's not looking. I try to do some chores every once and awhile when I can, although I know they want to treat me as a guest and not have me do anything. But it's difficult not to help out a little. They're remodeling another apartment that they're going to sell, so I helped pull up some tile and smash small holes into the concrete foundation so that the new tile would stick better. Doing little things like that and helping with the English makes me feel good because I want to give something back to this family that is giving me so much. They've even offered to take me along with them when they move to Bogota, Colombia in a few weeks, and to help me get started finding work and obtaining a visa. I´m contemplating all sorts of options, but I'll write more on that later when I know more.

For now the Cyber is closing. I´ll head back to have dinner with the family, maybe a ham and cheese sandwich as they're quite fond of them. Today I taught them how to make Philly Cheesesteaks, although they told me they have them here, and they're called Pepitos. The best food I've had so far was a Peruvian Papa Rellena in the street, which I could eat every night. Tomorrow I'll try to catch a few minutes of a world cup game during pit stop during our trip to another city, Merida. In a couple weeks we'll head to Isla Margharita off the Carribean Coast, which I'm very excited about. Then in the beginning of July it's off to Colombia, for the second time, as I've already been there once, without papers, for a few days to celebrate Mother's day with the family here in a border town with Venezuela. I learned a little more about fear and how to dance Cumbia so that when I meet Shakira I´ll know what to do. For now, adios y cuidense. Peaceness.