Keep on a Chooglin'

Day 2

After the excitement of the previous day, I was expecting Wednesday to be a day with a little less pace.  

Turns out I was right, or 66% right.

The morning of the second day was filled with breakfast with the office staff so we could all introduce each other and put names to faces.  It is a different kind of conversation when you have been in email contact with a secretary or employee throughout the summer and have never seen or met them.  To finally shake their hand or give them a hug and thank them for their diligent work was the least we could do.

If you have no frame of reference the process of working for an international school takes weeks upon weeks, nearly fifty documents, notarization, appostille-ing (google it), and lots of patience.  Factor in the passport and work visa, and it is nearly a six month process.  These people know there stuff and if it wasn't for them, many of us would not be able to work here [lifts a fake glass in the air to cheers those who do the paperwork].

After the morning meetings and another traditional Venezuelan lunch, we had three more hours to work in our room.  The amount of time we have been provided to work in our room is astronomical (more on school specific details in another post).  

After work we gathered at the rental van, met security, and headed of to Epa (think Home Depot) to pick up some housewares.  

The shopping was pretty tame, and the lines were the same as Kromi- few open registers and snails pace clerking.  The store also replicated Kromi with its odd lack of specific items.  Many of the aisles in both stores have the looks of a store preparing to restock its shelves, however they typically leave some goods in that form.  Long spurts empty shelves are found sporadically throughout the stores.  One day toilet paper and sugar (with a restriction of number of purchase) a day or two later, nothing.  

After we were done checking out, we made our way to the van with our security guard parked adjacent to us, but he was standing outside.  While we waited for the others to finish shopping Dave noticed a mall security guard and been inching closer and closer to us with walkie-talkie in hand.  A few minutes later the security guards boss came over to the guard and prompted him to say something to us.

"You guys are congregating around a car that has purchased goods in it and you are speaking English" (horrid translation from yours truly).  

To that our security guard replied, "If anyone tries to give this people trouble I'll take care of them.  I'm packing"

The face on the young security guard seemed to loose up and droop as his eyes widened.  He then told us that three grocery stores were robbed this afternoon.  Our security guard told him not to worry, he has it under control.  The younger guard slithered back behind a few cars several stalls away and said nothing.

Friday

Friday was another day of am meetings and three hours of work time.  Very good day to get some things done as we all started to feel more at home.

At the conclusion of the work day the school took us to a traditional Venezuelan restaurant for a family style meal.  We enjoyed some fried appetizers and salad, before our meal of beef, sausage, and chicken cooked on a small grill nearby turned from mouth watering gas to grilled goodness in front of us.  The salad is basically sliced veggies: onion, lettuce, tomato, avocado, carrots, beets, and quail eggs (hard boiled)- it was really tasty.

We shared good conversation and were welcomed again by the headmaster and the administrative team.  The meal concluded a week of mixed emotions, unknowns, and uncertainties, but the CIC team did a great job of making us feel not only at home, but as accepted members of their family.

After the meal the new hires and our coordinator, Andrea, left to meet up at a local pizza place to meet some of the staff and teachers out having pizza and beverages.  We were introduced to a group of employees with a variety of years of experience at CIC, but all were really cool, open, and accepting.  We stayed for several beverages, before heading out to get caught up on sleep.

I thought, in the famous words of Ice Cube, "Today was a good day,"

Saturday

I woke up in a stiff sweat, and not the kind created from a nightmare.  The power was out. No fans, no ac, and to add to it, no water.  Nice little Saturday.  I tried to add a few more minutes of sleep until my phone rang- it was David wondering if I wanted to join a group of people going on a hike.

Why not? No power, no water, and nothing to do.

We decided to go hike a nearby mountain/foothill (I forget the name) in the morning.  It by no means is the size of the Rocky Mountains, but it was a challenging climb.  The trail was packed.  People of all shapes and sizes, wearing everything from jeans to workout clothes and fanny packs drove up the mountain.

It was hot, but the breeze was beautiful. The entire up and down took just over an hour.  The rock looked like petrified wood, with wavy ridges moving north and south on the mountain face.  As we climbed a little boy called me a gringo, but David told me in VZ culture it a nickname, like many others, and means no harm.  We letter encountered a man climbing with his sons and he welcomed us to VZ and thanked us for coming.

I'm still in awe of the kindness I've seen so far.

Maybe there is a chance we can turn this whole thing around.

It definitely elevated the heart rate, but the view was magnificent.  After we made it back down we enjoyed freshly squeezed OJ from a local vendor.  By fresh I mean they take each half orange, place it on a strainer press and squeeze the juice out.  Over and over again to just make on large glass.  It was glorious and the perfect end to a good hike.

It's not the Sacto/Austin urban sprawl, but it's cool looking isn't it?

Can you see the second mountain behind the furthest buildings?

David and I putting the city to scale.  He's buff.

Told you he's jacked.  He carried his wife up the whole way.

Valencia, my current home. 

You can take the boy out of Iowa, but you can't make him stop sweating in South America.

David directing traffic (or pushing a mountain down) and explaining how he once ran up it in 14 minutes.  

Valencia at night from David and Christie's apartment this building in the lower right corner is Kromi.  

After I got home the power/water was back on, so I promptly took a shower and then a nap. 

Later that night David and Christie had me over for tostadas -they were awesome.  David then hooked up his tv to his computer and we streamed the NFL preseason game.  The first few tries were dicey, but he got it going.  We made it three quarters before I threw in the towel.  The long week had beaten me and I needed some REM.  

He gave me a ride home (no car for this guy) and I barely remember taking my contacts out before I was counting sheep. 

The first week had come to an end, and I wasn't too homesick or suffering culture shock yet.  Maybe I'll be able to pull those off...we'll see won't we.

Well that has gotten everything brought up to speed, now I can drive the blog machine on a more relevant path.

Not my best piece today, but I'm gassed- I'll get better though.  I told Mrs. Adkins I would write daily and I have, just not in the blog form.  But have no fear, It'll get better.

Stay safe, have fun, and don't drink eat too much cereal (I want to eat a popcorn bowl full of it when I get back.  I won't drink the milk here, and the cereal selection is worse here than it ever was for my sister growing up in a house of three boys).

Fin.

KRS