Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Heyyyyyy Magallanes

The World Series.

The showcase of the Boys of Summer. 

The child's game played at it's most skillful level, but the Fall Classic is also a swan's song.  The Series reminds us all of how a season builds up to its defining moment and then fades away. 

Baseball has a way of being a metaphor for life, and the passing of Lou Reed shows how that even though teams and seasons change, their influence or prestige give us optimism towards season to come.

Sure we may be sad that our team lost, a star player is leaving, we are leaving a position, or someone of importance (family or culturally) has passed on, but the game continues and we are better because of it. 

And, there is always next season.

LOU REED: “I couldn’t have been unhappier in the eight years I spent growing up in Brooklyn. And if there was probably a childhood trauma that I had other than the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn, which if you think about it is a reason why some of us are imbued with a cynicism that we never recovered from. Obviously you’re not a Mets fan, and you can’t possibly be a Yankees fan, so baseball’s eliminated from your life because of being born in Brooklyn.”

OFF-CAMERA INTERVIEWER: “You cared about the Dodgers as a kid?

LOU REED: “Very much. I don’t know why. I don’t like baseball. Of course, maybe I don’t like baseball because the Dodgers aren’t here anymore.”

Baseball's influence is everywhere.  Imagine if Lou was a Cubs fan.

More on Lou later. 

Venezuela and baseball.  It's like America and football. 

I was one of the people lucky enough to be on the receiving end of some Caracas vs. Valencia tickets (thanks to Lorena), which are some of the most difficult tickets to score here in VE.  [Unlucky in the sense that we had conferences the next day.  So it goes.]

These two teams are very strong and have a Yankees/Boston level of competitiveness and hatred. If you want a quick look at both teams check out these links: Magallanes and Leones.

Quick history:

Caracas has won 20 Venezuelan Professional Baseball Championships, two Caribbean World Series titles and Pete Rose played there in '64/65. 
Valencia has won 11 Venezuelan Professional Baseball Championships, and two Caribbean World Series. 

We took a van to get to the stadium to save time with travel and not worry about potential issues in the parking lot. 

Attack of the crazy tights! AHHHHH
The atmosphere outside was like nothing I had ever seen.


In the states, outside of a sports venue typically has tailgating, apparel sales, and fans chanting or talking smack to the opposing team.  These traits were similar, but with Venezuelan flare. 

The streets leading to the stadium were packed.  People looking to sell you Magallanes gear, food, or park your car.  The closer to the stadium the more you can feel the vibe of the game and its meaning.  It also gives you insight to what the "real" Valencia is like and not the small bubble I typically live in. 

We hopped out of the van and the sky was illuminated by the lights of the stadium, meanwhile the noise consumes you.  People talking baseball, drumming, the blowing of horns, and the mangling of traffic fills your auditory glands with excitement. 

Where the US has parking lots of people in specific stalls interacting, the Valencia experience is more of cafeteria style of pregame.  If you a Magallanes scarf or necklace, boom you got it.  If you want some food or a beer, got that too.  The road outside of the stadium is lined with people hanging around or people literally waiting in line.  People bounce around with their own agenda in mind.
B.B.C. = Beer. Baseball. CrackerJacks (wish I had some).

One guy was just being a clown.  We were staying in line and this dude rolls up Leones jersey on, and blasts his plastic horn of deafness right by us.  It was like the Sirens left Odysseus's ship and tried to blow one (if not both) of my ear drums.  I've listened to too much rock 'n roll and metal in my life so my ears ring normally, but when the fool in the street did that, my ears hurt. [I shake my fist at you Leones red horn player.] 

Hot out bod out for the mascot. 
The entrance to the stadium is pretty typical.  Ticket check, pat down, scan of weapons, and into the stadium itself.  Inside the stadium is as close to home as I've felt in a while.  It's pretty close to any ball park, with the exception of a stall that sells the visiting team's gear.  Could you imagine going to a Cubs game and seeing a Cardinals vendor IN the stadium?  No way.  They had it here, and I thought that was cool. 


We moved up the ramp and the field opened up.  It was a beautiful park, and very modern in its structure.  Our group hung a hard left and maneuvered through the packed house, and up about sixteen paces to our seats.  We were split up into two groups due to the scarce availability of the tickets, but both of our divisions were located under the roof (which was big with the two bouts of showers we had).
A beautiful night for a ball game
The game was awesome.  The fans were super into the contest.  They were passionate, smart fans that would whistle or holler when an opposing player would bluff, step out of the box or make a noticeable mistake.  The fans were increasingly active as the cheap beers funneled their fervor.

Before the anthem.  Notice the numbers of choice from the Magallanes.
For the hometown Magallanes, Carlos Zambrano of Chicago Cubs fame took the hill and on the opposing side, Bob (Bobby, in the USA) Abreu formerly of the Phillies/Yankees/Angels patrolled the outfield. 

BIG Z!  He's still big.  
Big Z only threw three innings, while "El Comedulce" (Abreu) had a rough day.  In one at bat he hit a grounder to the right side and after three steps out of the box tripped and fell.  The Magallanes faithful let him have it.  His fall was featured in the local newspaper the following day. 

What about Bob? He fell. 

The fans often chanted "Ponche" or punch out to encourage Big Z and the several relievers to record the strike out.  The stadium announcer reminded me of a "hype man" in a hip hop group, or MC at a basketball game- getting the crowd riled up with chants and comments.  Another common chant was, "Heyyyy Magallanes, huhhhhh!"  The engagement of the fans reminded me of the things I've read about soccer abroad and was a stark contrast of most sports in the US.

The winner of tonight's dizzy, dizzy bat race is... 
When a run scored the crowd would say something along the lines of "Hit, hit the boy, you know
(my translation may be off)."

When an opposing pitcher gets taken out the fans sing, "I'm leaving, I'm leaving if you're going to miss me."

There was a few pro government commercials that drew mixed responses from the crowd.
The big hitter of the night for Magallanes was ex-Orioles  Lew Ford (don't know sweet Lew, hit the link) who had a few big hits, including a homer run.

After the walk off single, the fans erupted.  It was awesome.  They have a tradition of throwing beers and people in the outfield bleachers were launching them.  I can't compare the Magallanes bleacher crowd to the Cubs, but they both have their own unique charm.  I'm really happy I went even though we had a quick turnaround for conferences the next day.
No shave November started early for Jon and I (I'm going to look like a Red Sox player by the 30th).  Frank is the most photogenic guy in this country.  Also, we gave Jon our cups so it look like he had a lot of beer.. kidding, HE'S A MAN!

Conferences were easy.  Not many people want to talk to the new English teacher with the weird last name, so my day was pretty relaxing.  It was a long day our conference schedule was 7:30am to 5:00pm and then turn right around for two regular days of school after that.  Two thumbs down.

Charity Road Race

This past Saturday was another CIC tradition, the Charity Road Race.  It was a pretty cool scene.  Couple hundred runners and their families showing up to work/run/walk the 5K.  Jon and I were presidents of T.N.T. (Team No Training) with Morris as our executive VP.  While I got second in my division (I'm guessing there were five people in my division), I did not run as well as I had hoped.  

I started poorly. I got hung up by little kids, students and walkers and was hurting by the final 1000m. The final block was a hill that broke me.  I swear I was going to puke.  I held it off though, and passed under what I thought was the finish line.  Turns out, they pulled an old XC move on me and snaked it up by the gymnasium (got ya!).  I didn't have it in my legs and stomach to run the extra 25-30 meters, so I "crossed" the line and quickly found some grass to call some dinosaurs on.  After trying to encourage my gatorade up (stupid, I shouldn't have drank anything) things started to settle down and I migrated to the gym to see my time.  I believe I ran a 23ish time (awful compared to some of the 17 and 18's I ran in HS, but hey what can you do?) and was runner up to David's mid-22.  He dominated, I survived.

So it goes.  

Five Things We Can All Learn From (the passing of ) Lou Reed

I was slow to Velvet Underground and his solo work.  I faked like I understood it for a while (needed college street cred), but earlier this year I listened to the their debut album a few times and it clicked.  The fact that they did what they wanted, were confident in their art, and created such a unique sound at such a turbulent time was inspiring.  It wasn't until then did their storytelling and style make sense, but when it did I felt it and I got what all the fuss was about.

One of rock's most original and outspoken poets not only showed the covalence between music and art, but also viewed life in a manner the could help shape us in a way that his music shaped the industry.

1) These are really terribly rough times, and we really should try to be as nice to each other as possible.
A good reminder that everyone is fighting their own battle and things aren't getting easier.  Be good to each other.

2) I think that everything happens for a reason, everything happens when it's going to happen.
Things will unfold and you just have to wade through it with your best intentions in mind.  It'll work out.

3) I think life is far too short to concentrate on your past. I rather look into the future.
Lou's art keeping moving forward and nostalgia wasn't for him.  Keep your eyes up and see what you can uncover.

4) One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz.
Life is complicated enough why add more irons in the fire? I can't multitask and I lied to myself for years that I could. Maybe you can, but should you? What are you missing when you're spread thin?

5) There's only X amount of time. You can do whatever you want with that time. It's your time.
My dad once told me, "They're all good days when you wake up breathing." He's right. With each breath you can do what you want, but the "X amount" is unknown.  Don't feel forced to spend it in anyway other way then your way.

While we are approaching the holiday season (crazy isn't it?) these are some good points to keep in mind and possibly use them to direct your goals/approach.

With the baseball season ending in the states and beginning here, the game keeps moving.  With Lou Reed's passing, we lost a great artist (a good guy), but gained a better appreciation for his work and the influence it provides will live on.

Every ending is a beginning.

As for me, I've decided to look for a different path next year and it will be interesting to see what opportunities present themselves.  This experience has taught me a lot and I know I will learn more in my remaining time here.  This experience has and will continue to shape me, but it is also calming to know I'll return to a lifestyle a little more familiar.

After his passing, I was listening to Mr. Reed's album, "Transformer" and stumbled upon this song.  I think it's a quirky way to send him peace and to bid you good night.


Enjoy the rest of your week (I'm still jealous of your cool weather).

Good luck to the Clinton River Kings tomorrow taking on Cedar Rapids Xavier.  I know you're the "underdog", but every dog has its day (wow, that could be the lamest thing I've ever said).  How about shock the world?  Ball out (eh, better, but not my best work).

I get to be in the Student Council Halloween costume model deal with Jon and some others Friday at an assembly (yippie!). I then come back Friday night to work the Halloween Night/Hunted House for the elementary students with the junior class.  I have no idea what to expect, but I'm sure it'll be interesting.  

Happy Halloween! If you get sick of Butterfingers, Skittles, Reese's Peanut Buttercups, or Tootsie Pops/Rolls, save them for me.  I'll eat them.

Stay away from the people that give out apples or dental floss.  They don't like fun.

Be good to each other.

Until next time,

KRS

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

17 Things You Never Knew About Valencia, Venezuela (and maybe didn't care to)

The Venezuelan educational machine continues to churn down here, but the action outside of the school day has seemed to slow a bit.  To remedy the situation Jon had a gathering of x and y chromosome based humans at his place for camaraderie, revelry, and music.

Nothing of real importance occurred outside some tall tales being told and some guitar being picked.  It was an eclectic mix of guys that hadn't ever hung out together, but it worked.  Jon's apartment was filled with a variety of metal/hard rock, bellowing laughter, and increasingly loud voices.  It's been really busy professionally here (end of quarter, trainings, Vanas, grades, start of a new quarter) and it was a good night to get away from it for a spell. 

Due to a dip in readership and a lack of profound documentable (yeah I made up that word) madness, I have decided to just provide you (my loyal and engaged reader) a list of observations of daily living here. 

Below you'll find seventeen observations broken into categories and dusted with wittiness. 

Sorry about the total lack of pictures. The pictures I tried to take to showcase these things did not turn out and taking pictures of random people without them knowing is surprisingly challenging.  Don't worry next week will be picture loaded.

So you want to speak Valencia, Venezuelan...

Here are some daily words you need to have done to be a hip cat in Republica Bolvariana de Venezuela.

1) aaaaeee - (pronounced AAAA) takes place of the English "umm."  Once you notice it, you can't stop hearing it. 
Ex. "We are going to the beach you should bring, aaaaeee...chips. What time should we leave." "Aaaaeee...6:30"

2) mierda - look.  Students here say it all. The. Time.  "Mierda, mierda, mierda, mierda..." They don't enjoy lines or waiting so they just say it repeatedly until you provide them with attention.   

3) dale - go ahead or ok, agreeing. Not Dale (heaven's driver #3).  People will end conversations with "dale pues" which means "go ahead", but here means ok.  Morris explained this to me and I am still confused about.

4) marico/marica - dude/girl.  Formally the word means "gay", but people/students here use it as a way to talk to others in without a negative connotation. 

5) huevon/ huevona - dumb/stupid.  Self explanatory and used frequently when driving (instead of harsher words). 

6) Use hand gestures, point your lips (pucker and direct the sight line), or raise your noise (like you want to make a pig sound) to emphasize your point, point, or to show confusion, respectfully. These actions are synonymous with speaking. 

 

So you want to dress like a Valencia, Venezuelan:

This is a gross exaggeration of what a stereotypical Venezuelan looks like in public through the eyes of a gringo. 

Man

Imagine instead of bands, sleeves.
1) Schmedium shirt.  This shirt has to be tight enough around the arms to cut off circulation Ultimate Warrior style.  Even if the person doesn't work out, they will find a shirt tight enough to fit snuggly around their arms to give the vibe off that they do work out.  They gotta let the ladies see the guns (even if you are rocking a Polar paunch [local beer belly]).

2) Labels.  Polo, Prada, Ray Ban, Nike, Ralph Lauren, Toms, AF, Hollister, if it has a symbol and reflects a particular ethos rock that thing.

3) Futbol shirt (soccer jersey).  Especially if the are Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, or the national team of Venezuela, Germany, Spain or Italy.  Be sure to buy them from the youth rack though. 

4) Fanny pack/murse.  Preferably of a trendy brand and with lots of color.  Be sure to wear it in one of the three following areas: standard (behind back, just above butt), front (resting just underneath the navel), or sling (over the head with pack just under the armpit).  Jeans don't provide enough pockets and the murse gives you another label with your outfit. 

5) Designer jeans.  Shirt length should not exceed the ability for one to see the label or stitching to typify the creator of your denim. 

6) Faded haircut.  Make sure it resembles a footballer and particularly that your product does not make the hair look hard, but rather establish flow.  Pomades and mousses are recommended.

Woman

1) Tights.  Remember the patterns your grandmother used to make into scarves and blouses...perfect! Other popular designs are an explosion of various neon's, superhero logos, indigenous tribal designs and material based on designs that you used to stare at when younger and see objects "inside" the picture (remember those books and posters?).  These tights vaguely remind me of the pajama pants you see people wearing in Walmart.

2) Heels.  Whether for work or the club these choices would make the 70's jealous.   Platforms, wedges (I had to look those names up), but no hooker boots or uggs like the states. Somewhere Gene Simmons is looking through his closet wondering where some of his old "God of Thunder" kicks went.  Well, I found them...all of them. 

3)  Matching colors.  Valencians remind me of American Hip-Hop types that have to match their random flat bill professional sports hat to a shirt to their shoes.  From their substantial make-up to clothes to belt to shoes and accessories, Valencia women have color coordination down to a science.  I'm not talking about simple colors or pastels, but rather a cornucopia of colors colliding sometimes in a confusing collision (hehehe, alliteration).  

4) Tight clothes.  Shirts, jeans, skirts, dresses, leopard print body suits.  Don't know if you can fit into that particular number?  Don't worry, it'll be fine!  The less drag you have on your clothes, the less wind resistance you'll have throughout the day.  Plus, the smallish, tight clothes allow areas typically covered by swimsuits (bionically enhanced or otherwise) to be accentuated or partially revealed (either by choice or not).  In some cases fibers are screaming.

5) Huge sunglasses. I had no idea the Kardashian affect would reach South America, but it did. Valencian women love the huge face covering, bug eyed, hide whatever behind sunglasses. Obviously, brand names are priority, but if the glasses can mask your baby blues (here baby browns) then you are hip to trip. 

No outfit (male or female) is complete without the urban pacifier, the cellphone.  Part homing beacon, part communication device, part social media narcissism promoter, the cell phone should not be out of a Valencian's hand for longer then a couple of minutes or an allergic reaction will follow.  This is true whether at work, the gym, eating or driving.

Thing That I Hate About The Gym This Week...

The fact that Morris and I had to wait 30 minutes to use the only squat rack (that itself is funny) makes me hate the steroid stable we call a gym.  But Kellen, be patient and understanding for they no not wait they do.  False, they do.  Supersetting (doing another exercise during your recovery) is fine, but texting, talking to another patron and taking a phone call is not.  Couple that with one Jason Statham wannabe was using all the 45's (8 total) and a handful of 35's to do leg press.  And by leg press I mean bend your knee roughly 20 degrees and have a trainer help you do your "lift".  There were three groups of people wanting to use the weights he was using, but he apparently is training for the Mr. Olympia and doesn't realize there are 321 people in the gym.

Hilarious Quote That I Forgot to Include Last Week:

"I got married so I wouldn't have to depend on myself" Jonathan Moreno Ramirez

If that doesn't make you laugh you ain't breathin'.  I'm sure it's true for many a man as well. 

Tonight a bunch of us are going to the Valencia vs. Caracas baseball game.  It's a huge game here in the Venezuelan major leagues (I don't know if that is what is it called), the first of the season.  I heard that beers get thrown around like peanut shells and the crowd is raucous.  Jackpot.  I'll take some pictures and discuss it next week.

Hope all of you back in the states are enjoying the fall weather and those of you in Iowa are enjoying the snow in October.  It's been hot here, and humid.  So it goes.

Parent teacher conferences await!

Until next time,
KRS



Tuesday, October 15, 2013

White Chocolate, Gypsies, and Venezuela's Sabula

Playa Grande

Happy Pearl Jam/Paul McCartney CD release day.

Another day another dollar down here.

60ish days until the semester breaks and we just rode out the fall break into Monday's second quarter.

To celebrate/relax/forget quarter one, ten of us went to a little place called Chroni (my students laugh at my pronunciation), a nice little beach community hidden behind snake's den of windy mountain roads (not win-dy, wine-dy).

Thursday

On the drive to Chroni, Jon's car gets pulled over and is forced to pay 1000Bs.  It was a poker game of sorts.  The officer threatened to have it towed, Jon countered with calling the school's lawyer, and the officer returned fire with waiting for the tow truck and other scare tactics.  Having a car full of gringos and his son, Rexin, they paid the fine and were on their way (after about 30mins or so of a hold up).  
McD's, aka civilization. Menu here is a little different.

Peter Parker? Nope street art.  Creepy though. 
After that brief pit stop we took to the mountain roads.  A Dramamine endorsed two hour drive brought us to the Matchbox roads of Chroni.  These things are just big enough for 1.5 Venezuelan cars, or 3/4 a a big Iowa truck.  We were lucky enough to get caught behind a garbage truck in town for several blocks [extends hand for a high five] before reaching our Posada.  
The posada's lobby.  You can't see it, but there's no water. 

This posada was a cool, two floor motel type number with a restaurant that wasn't open and a hammock.  It also didn't have water for most of our stay (hey it's not the Hilton).  We didn't stay long, as we packed our stuff and headed to the beach.
Don't look at the shadows...got ya!



We ventured into town to get some fish  to eat and then hit Playa Grande (beach).  We hung out and relaxed until dusk.  It was barren.  Most Venezuelans go to the beach on the weekend, so we had one day without the madness.  Once night settled in we returned to our waterless posada and then had some pizza at a local spot.  We all called it a night before 11 or so.  Yeah, we're old. 
Dusk settles in. 
I'm still an artist.  Lines, angles, shading.  $32 dollars for the photo.  Any takers?

Friday  

Early morning departure (I think 8).  No alarm clock needed because Rexin was up chatting it up and chasing Jon which stirred some of the masses. Didn't wake me up, I was out until "Stairway to Heaven" impeded my brain. 
Cruzito and Jon.  They make the road look small. 
Closer to the water, the more it's hopping. Sabula on steroids!
We walked back through town and hired a boat man, Esteban de la Cruz (not making that up) who said he also went by Cruzito.  Guy was a solid captain, who was joined by a Somali as his first mate.  Nice guys.  One would think being out on a 15' or so boat with a 70 horse motor in the ocean would be cause for alarm (not yet) it was smooth sailing.  
Biggest snake ever.
Jon and Maya discussing the intricacies of teaching and boating.  

This was Disney's inspiration for the Little Mermaid
My shirt: The Quad Cities are twice as nice as the Twin Cities.  And some fishermen. 

That there is a flotilla of fishing! 

We wasted the day on Cepe (the beach) and in the water.  At one point the beach community received its shipment of beers, all 3,000 plus of them.  Insane amount of beer bottles.  The beach had some small shops and such, but few were open.  We found one that served Red Snapper, which we made short work of.
Cepe, it rhymes with "Hey, why don't I just go eat some hay, make things out of clay, lay by the bay?  I just may.  What'd ya say?
Good thing Jon teaches Calc and could computer the number of beers on the beach.  My singing of 99 bottles of beer wasn't working.  

Load'em up. 
I know what you're thinking, but yes it still runs.  No gas gauge or speedometer. 

1/3 Jon, Rexin, and some gypsies.

The ride back with Cruzito reminded me of the time you got on a friend or relative that just got his or her boat. They know what they should do, but the just don't have the skills yet.  We blasted off a few waves and some rough landings.  Jon and I decided to give the captain some rum.  A few times I saw the navigator shoot Cruzito a look like, "Easy Pops".  A little more eventful, yet kind of fun.  We rewarded him with the remaining booze in the bottle.  
I have no idea what is going on, but shortly after this picture Jon and I have to help push a boat into the ocean.  

Boat in ocean, beer in hand.  Simon Bolivar approves!

We retreated to the posada where Eric and his wife Fanny joined us.  They also were stopped and charged a 1000Bs bribe, but the relented and paid only 800Bs.  We grabbed some dinner and hit the hay.
The sun sets. 

Saturday

Saturday morning we took Cruzito's boat to Chuao.  The boat ride was the longest of the weekend, probably close to 30mins.  It was a fresh morning with lots of traffic getting into the boat and to the beach.  

I'll give you a dollar if you can tell me what is painted on the building to the left.  

We dropped off Jon and Rexin and the rest of our traveling brigade hit the pavement to walk through the chocolate plantation to a small pueblo. Ryan was almost killed by a random falling fruit bomb of death.  I felt like I was watching real life Angry Birds.  No casualties.  Once there we hired a guide, a small, slightly limping older man and his eight year old granddaughter.  Armed with what looked like a broomstick handle and a machete, Jose took to point and guided us up the mountain.  

Up, under, around and over various trees, rocks, and climbs we scuttled.  We even got to stop to have Jose open a chocolate seed/pod/holder of goodness (which was white, weird I know) to enjoy while we walked.  A couple really fun parts like crossing a river (21 times) and wading through it with bags overhead.  Ryan and I tried to take off off our shoes for each river and then put them back on, but that lasted about three crossings.  Roughly two hours and change of wet feet we arrived.  
It's alive (my blister)! And no, I don't need a pedicure.  

We waded in the water near the falls, and hung out on some smooth rocks to rest from the hike.  An array of other travelers were up there as well eating and drinking.  They were local (the thong bathing suits for women and Ronaldo hair cuts for guys gives it away) and enjoying themselves. 

We made better time on the way down, and the granddaughter (first time up the mountain) never fell or slipped once.  Ryan rewarded the young mountaineer with some cookies and a 20 or 50 Bs tip.  Jose didn't charge us, but told use to give us whatever we felt.  We gave him a sizable fee for the job.  The real treat was to see the look on the young girls face.  Which was followed about 47 steps later with her throwing the cookie wrapper on the ground (smh).  

We caught a taxi, and by taxi I mean an old work truck with welded fencing on the outside of the bed and a pole parallel to the bed to hold on to.  We had to duck and evade branches and leaves the whole way back. 

After the taxi, we found Jon who was now joined by Eric and Fanny.  We waited about thirty minutes until Cruzito got there.  

We packed that boat to max capacity with about 14 people and hit the tasty waves.  I was on the outside of the last row and just getting blasted with was from the boat.  I also noticed that we sat significantly lower in the water than any of the other rides.  I also was aware that we were much further out coming back, there was some white tips to the waves, and the sea was in a joking mood. We caught some big "hump" waves (my definition).  A few times old Cruzito had to back way off the throttle to time approaching a wave or speed up to out run one.  We were bouncing around pretty good until we hit one pretty hard.  

I started to lean in towards the middle of the boat to think it would help (a physics teacher I am not).  Plus if we did capsize (which I found out that not only was I thinking about it but so were Maya and Jon's wife Randi), it would be a hell of a swim in.  The rocky cliffs weren't the answer, so the swim to the beach would be several hundred meters.  While leaning in old Cruzito saw my body language and gave me a hard time.  Now I speak about 2% Spanish, so I had no idea what he was saying, but what I could tell by his tone was that I was not a sailor and a sally.  

True.

After hitting another wave pretty hard, I looked over at Ryan and he specifically told me to not look back as the wave was bad.  I did catch a glimpse of it.  Had to be 20+ feet and, here comes the scary part, was over the boat.  We were in a low spot, it was high.  Granted it was behind us, but that was not a cool visual.  I made some mini check points along the way home to be goals for me to aim for.  We got off the boat, into town and back to the posada.  

That night we got some food and went to watch some gypsy drumming and check out their wares.  The gypsies come from Argentina and Columbia and they had some really cool stuff.  I wandered about practicing some Spanish and buying some things.  

The drumming was good, but short lived.  As they were followed up by several local rappers that actually were pretty good.  Our crew didn't stay long and we retreated for the posada knowing that the drive tomorrow would be long and full of crazy bus traffic.  

Overall not a bad trip. Relaxing and interesting all at once.  

Sorry no pictures from the hike, I didn't want to risk bringing my phone through the water and the forest.

Hope you enjoyed your weekend and laughed at mine.

Until next time,

KRS

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Q1...Done.

Howdy.

It's hot here.

The end of the first quarter is here for all of us at CIC Valencia and not a moment too soon.  Teachers have an innate ability to read students and their temperament, and I think I speak for most of the teachers here when I say these kids need a break.  We've gone nearly eight full weeks non-stop.  No early out, no in-service, or anything.  It'll be good on behalf of both parties to get away from each other for a while.

This past week was rather uneventful as the school grind has pushed on.  We were supposed to have the big "Parent Teacher Social", but due to the long-time headmaster falling ill the parents thought it was in good conscious to cancel the party in light of his sickness.  A kind gesture to a man that had given many years at this school. *About an hour after I first drafted this paragraph, this particular headmaster passed away.  It had a visible impact on our staff.  

Instead of the Social, a group of us went out to the rather nice hotel in town for some drinks and sushi.  It was a very classy place that had a open stone dining area and some nice outdoor seating.  Behind the outdoor seating and down some stairs was a private party that had live music and security.  We were not that cool.  Instead we had some cocktails that were the color of "Slimer" from Ghostbusters and a few rolls of Valencia's finest.  We talked about the country, how adaptation and assimilation are a challenge and discussed school based issues.

The music from behind us was getting louder as more people started to roll in.  The music turned to a more traditional blend with dancing and clapping.  Near us conversations for surrounding tables were scented with a mixture of foreign and domestic cigarettes.  I started to fade out of the conversation at our table to check the score of the CHS football game.  Our team had been down big at the start of the second half and yet had started to mount a comeback.  They had begun what was to be the winning drive when I committed to giving up on my surroundings and focusing slowly on the game.

That drive caused me to age several years within a few short minutes.  The River Kings drove down the field and with a few small set back ended up scoring the go ahead touchdown.  Imagine me in a nice place holding my phone up to my ear, yelling swearing, rolling my head back, and intently hanging off every syllable of Gary Determan's play by play.

Something strange happened. I looked up at the tall hotel, over my shoulder at the pool, and into the dining hall through the huge glass windows.  I felt lost.  I felt abandoned, and not by anyone or anything, but from whatever idea I had in that moment.

I looked at my watch, 11:15.  I started to regain composure and yawned.  I was tired and prompted the others to head out.

I knew what hit me, the impending decision that is looming at the end of this month.

Stay or go.

On Sunday, Jon and Randi had a big group of us over for brunch.  It was a lot of fun and some great food.  Everyone brought something potluck style and we all enjoyed a mixture of Venezuelan and American dishes.  Pancakes were a big hit (with real syrup).  We would have had some chocolate chip waffles, but the power was out so no one could use the stove.  Not that anyone could have used to oven as it exploded and attacked Randi last week.  She took it off the leg, but won the war it's gone.  Thankfully, it didn't hit their son.

Jon, Ryan, and I needed our football fix so Dr. Macuare called her husband and we headed over to their place to watch the 12:30 game.  The Bears got beat so Ryan and I put our Cutler hating hats on.  Meanwhile, Jon and Dr. Macuare enjoyed wins by their Ravens and Bengals teams respectively.

Other than that things have been pretty slow.

A group of 10-12 of us are heading to a posada in a town not terribly far from here for some beach and relaxation.  I'll hopefully have some good pictures and a few stories to share for next week.


By The Numbers

1957:  Today marks the day that Jerry Lee Lewis recorded "Great Balls of Fire" and later covered by Goose in "Top Gun".  I won't judge which rendition is better.
 
Zohan
Neymar
17: Number of kids that told me today that they didn't like my hair and that I should cut it.  (I used to have it kind of messy, not it's just "normal" and they hate it). One student said I should go to this stylist the kids call the Zohan and get my hair cut like Neymar.

6: The number of weeks it took me to receive a box of stuff shipped from my parents in Clinton, IA to the school.  They sent it in one big box and I received it in two smashed boxes.  I suppose better late and moderately in tact than never.   


 5.5:  The number of weeks it took my seven person newspaper staff to complete our first issue.  May seem like a lot, but none had any previous newspaper experience.  I'll try to post a pdf to show you our first step in the process.

2: Number of dumb things I did yesterday.  I left my window of my apartment open (while I was working out) during what turned out to be a monsoon.  One of my couches got soaked and I had a huge puddle on the floor.  Secondly, I accidentally didn't shut my fridge door last night and came home for work today to a bunch of ruined food.  Awesome.

1a: Awesome piece I watched involving one of my favorite bands and a very inspirational figure, Steve Gleason.  Long story short, Steve was a pro football player who made a key play during the Saints return to the Super Dome after Katrina.  He was later diagnosed with ALS and has been fighting the disease while trying to help others in his situation and create a video journal for his son Rivers.  He sat down to talk to the band about music/sports, life, leadership and conflict.  I cried each time I have watched it (2), but it had an impact on me and maybe it will on you.  I donated some money to the cause and got a few t-shirts as well.  You don't have to spend any money, but take 9 minutes while you're eating your cereal and reading your phone to watch it.   You won't regret it.  

1b:  Pearl Jam's new single, "Sirens".  Find a more emotionally attaching song written this year and we can have a debate.  Simply wonderful.
Sorry for the shameless Pearl Jam tie in, but I'm excited for there new CD to come out next week.  And since I somehow lost all their albums (probably around 200-300 songs) from my computer when I connected one of my phones, I've been without their music (another dumb thing I didn't know it did).  Rough week.  

Well that's all from down here.  I apologize for the lack of interesting events, but I'm sure that things will pick back up.  

Enjoy the rest of the week and have a great weekend.

Until next time,
KRS

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The ABC's of 60ish Days in Venezuela

Hello boys and girls.

I hope things aren't too terrible up there in Uncle Sam Land.  I have read a lot about our current predicament and it sounds frustrating.  But on the bright side we have playoff baseball, conference match-ups in NCAA football, NFL is 1/4 of the way down with the season, and hockey just started.  Not saying one shouldn't be aware and active in regards to the situation, but that don't let it totally ruin your day.  Lots to be thankful for, even if it is just sports.

Moving on.

After about 63 days of being here, I thought it may be fun to give you a little insight of where I'm at with living down here.  Instead of my traditional column, I'm going to write it using the alphabet as my guide (elementary teachers get excited).

Maestro, a little music to start us up please:

A - Arepas are awesome (alliteration).  The Venezuelan staple made of corn (maize) and seasonings combined with your favorite toppings can turn any down day up.   

B - Beaches.  There are some rather beautiful ones around this country and I speak from little experience.  However, even the ones people refer to as "not great" here are pretty awesome.  

C - Culture Shock.  It's real and as much as I thought I wouldn't get it I have. If you care to know what stage I'm on, hold your horses, it's coming.  

D - Dependent.  I've never felt so dependent, well since probably MS/HS.  I need friends for rides, to talk to people for me, to find me things I need, and to read things to me (when I don't have google translate handy).  Yep, I'm that guy.

E - Exchanging money.  I have never seen or completed it, but I have now.  The official rate is 6.3, but on the black market the dollar is going for 41.4 Bs.  It's crazy.  I don't know how some citizens can do it with inflation this high.  Speaking of that, I need to exchange because I have about $48 dollars to my name right now.  

F - Farmers Market.  It's awesome, tons of fresh fruits and veggies and manageable price-wise.  Plus, you can drink coconut water with from a coconut that was just machete-ed open.  I was going to go with feral animals, but I didn't want to depress my PETA readers.  

Just add water.  No, I'm serious.  

G - Gym.  I have never seen anything like it.  Typically packed due to its small square footage, it is usually full of all the colors of the '80s neon rainbow, and smells like a beauty salon.  If a dam was leaking and needed fixing there's enough gel for that.  Only thing that is lacking there is sweat, it's a social (curl/arm) hour.  My coaching friends would crack up. 

H - Harina Pan.  If this wondrous little package is in stock at a store look out.  Between that and toilet paper, I don't know what packs the stores more full.  Not to downplay toilet paper, but toilet paper does not make arepas, so I give that the edge. .

I - Ice Cream.  It's different, maybe closer to gelato, but it is still pretty good.  My first ice cream in several months wasn't DQ, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.  Get off my case, I was a little homesick.    

It's huge, not the ice cream, but my cheesy smile. 

J - Jars.  Due to my total lack of glasses/cups (and my minimalist life hacks) I have converted jars to drinking glasses.  Nothing says classy like drinking water or booze out of an old spaghetti jar.  Yeah...

K - Kids.  This school is a very different both financially and structurally than my previous school.  The students are from vary levels of a comfortable class and present their specific challenges.  Deep down they are just like any other high school kid, trying to get away with doing as little as possible and procrastinating.  These students however, do ask a lot of questions... a lot. 

L - Lines.  Take Walmart lines, subtract half the cashiers and add about 45 mins to an hour.  Some people take the liberty of enjoying a drink and a snack while waiting.  I usually just people watch, and wonder how in the hell is this taking so long.  

M - Mobile phone.  I thought some people in states were bad, but I did not expect to see many situations I have here.  Workers using phones on the job, people using their phones (instead of their eyes) as a map, people at the gym texting or calling between sets and parents using their phones during our principal's presentation.  Technology is loved.  

N - Negotiation Phase.  That's my phase of culture shock and I'm constantly fighting frustration, anger, and confusion over cultural differences.  I'm definitely not saying people here are bad or negative, it's just what I'm going through.  

O - Obstruction.  My colleague Leo put it best, "You can't go further than 5o yards without hitting one of these speed bumps." Pro- speeds down, Con- car sickness and car issues.  

P - Pancakes.  A few friends and I went to a place that had real pancakes.  Not quite like back home (syrup was honey), but the Nutella, carmel, and whipped cream made for a great cheat meal.  

Glorious!!! But I couldn't even finish them.

Q - Questions.  My friends (especially the local ones) think I ask a ton of questions.  I confess I do.  I've always been a big question guy.  I like to know why things are the way they are and what caused them.  But I don't extend meetings or pester with my questions (I hated that in college).  I also ask things like, "What is this person saying or what do I say back?"  Or something as simple as, "What is that (called)?"

R - Roadside cafe/shops.  Driving and need coffee or food? Pull over.  These little stores have some really tasty food and drink with a tons of condiments and Venezuelan flare.  Also, you can be like Anthony Bourdain and sit on plastic chairs and eat like he does in his worldly travels.  

S - Sports.  They are much different then the states, not that it is good or bad.  Three days a week and only one competition.  Our softball team won the lone tournament, so that was cool.  It was a paradigm shift for me for sure.  

T - Traffic.  Turn signals aren't needed just a (sometimes) courtesy wave or point and go for it.  Sometimes just go for it like a video game.  I would like to see the VE version of the drivers manual in regards to order of turning or right of way.      

U - Umbrellas.  I don't think I have ever used one since my mom made me walk with one to school once (that may not be true Mom, but I think I remember it).  I never needed one or thought it was too dorky to use.  Not here.  When the valve of the heavens opens up you grab an umbrella and duck and cover.  Monsoon's up in here.  


V - Verification.  When signing big, important documents here you get to stamp both thumbs and sometimes your remaining fingers.  I don't know why, but I think its cool.  But that's coming from the guy that made a self portrait using only his number.  

Round one: picture and finger prints. 

Kelley demonstrating round 2: signature more prints.

W - What happened to my hair?  Every time I go into a new store or anywhere outside the (three places I go to buy food/goods) they always reference my much shorter hair and comment on it.  It's cool, I can deal with it.  I just need to improve my Spanish so I can tell some tall tales.  

X - Xenophobia, the irrational or unreasoned fear of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange.  Sometimes going into different areas of town at different times, or just not knowing why things are they way the are causes this.  I just thought it was a cool video game from my childhood, but it is real.  I quickly overcame it, but it did cause some thoughts at times.   

Y - Yearning.  My student must have a yearning for my courses...or they just don't listen and then ask the same question a few times even after I answer it.  OR they really want me to tell them individually.  Hmm..  

Z - Zephyr.  When the west wind picks up that usually signals rain and a heavy rain at that. It does sometimes just provide my apartment with some well needed air movement (I only have AC in my bedroom).   

Cleaning Out The Phone Photos:

Me on peace day: Give hugs, not slugs (or shells..bullets. You get the idea).  

Waiting to get our paper work done on our cedula (government ID card) and there is no AC.  

Noticed these artist names while eating black bean burgers at Dave's.  I hope the young man on the left never leaves Venezuela and tours the states.  Poor name choice bro.  

No idea.  
Well that does it for today.  I hope this was an alpha-based, educational excursion for you.  I want to wish all of you a happy October!  I wish I was getting ready to wear hoodies and eat all the great fall foods, but it's all good.

This Friday we have the parent-teacher social at a local family's home.  I have heard it's pretty upscale from the location to the food.  I'll be sure to take some pictures and provide a full report.  

Until next time,
KRS