Back

I'm back.  Sorry about the wait. 

So where was I?  After Cuba,  I returned to Venezuela and found out that my Grandma Lueders had been diagnosed with cancer.  Actually, she got the diagnosis before I left.  Needless to say that was tough news to take.  My family is very important and my Grama is really special in the sense she has a unique relationship with all of her grandkids.  As soon as I heard the news and the supposed time table, I quickly approached my administration about getting back ASAP.

The administration at CIC was great.  As soon as I met with them, we hashed out a plan for me to return.  There was only one problem, a flight.  Now, if you've been following this blog at all you know that flights out of this country are becoming very scarce.  My initial search had me paying about $3700 USD to fly from Caracas>Atlanta>Moline.  Yeah, that's not expensive or anything.

Next ticket was better...and worse.  Carcacas>Curaco>Miami>Atlanta>Moline one way was $1700 USD.  I enlisted several local friends to help and through their calls to travel agencies and local email accounts I found one that left two days after I heard the news.  I would fly out of Caracas on Thursday, which means leaving Valencia at 1am or so to beat traffic on the 106 mile drive.  My friend took me to to the travel agency to get the ticket for about $500 USD (I paid in BsF at the black market rate) and we found out that the flight on Saturday had a few seats.  I switched flights, caught a ride with a friend to Caracas, and hit the trails.

I got to Clinton around 6pm and got to see my Grama and the rest of my family.  It was a pretty tough moment.  The whole week was tough.  Seeing my extended family under such stress and my Grama approach the situation with courage was very moving.  I accompanied my mom to take her to treatment a few times and it was an experience unlike anything I've ever seen.  

The patients and staff in the cancer wing were so cheerful and positive.  I know that deep down that patients are scared, but the rarely show it.  They go about their day and conversation as if it's just another appointment.  I was very inspired by their bravery in the face of a very challenging opponent.  

The week was a very challenging roller coaster of emotion for me. Trying to find the right balance in regards to wanting to help, being around to help, and go about things I needed to do (apply for jobs, workout, read, make sure my students did something with their life while I was gone).  I did a pretty good job of holding it together for the most part.  A few times, I had a tough go, but I didn't have the opportunity to deal with that when my family did due distance.  Looking back on the week it went so fast, but I was happy to be back and spend time with family.  I am grateful the school allowed me to go home.

PROM

The one word that middle to high school girls hold like gold in their mind.  It probably trumps 1D, JT, and any other random pop star of the month/year in terms of obsession, except now it's even crazier.  In the states the clothing has become more Hollywood and the "asking" more MTV.  It's almost too much.  Here it's a little different.

As a junior advisor I had to attend Prom with the other upperclassmen advisers and administration.  Prom here consists of photographs, a very nice dinner, and junior speeches to the seniors.  The dress is "cocktail"with common sense in terms of dress in mind.  Girls wore dresses or jumpsuits (if I knew it was a jump suit party I would have brought my real Air Force jumpsuit I found in Austin) and guys wore shirts and sport coat.  There were a few ties, but most dudes did not go that classy.  There was a very noticeable effort with facial improvement methods (make up).  I did not recognize many of my students due to the dedication and quantity of effort.  Which was probably to be expected with some students leaving early to go to get hair "did" (isn't that what girls say?) and make done.

The meal was several courses with steak in between and an ice cream/fruit plate at the end.  Very solid dinner (can't beat steak-it's hard to find).  During the meal each senior has a junior (or in a few cases, two) talk about them in a sincere way.  No roasts.  The kids did a very nice job talking about their senior friends.  There was only one slip up.  One student had moved away and no one found a replacement speaker for his senior.  We had two kids step up and give an improv speech (admirable, but mistaken).  Then the night concluded.  The students kept trying to get Ryan, Jon, and I to go to the after party but we told them that doesn't go with the teacher code of ethics.  They kept pushing the issue and I just said I was old and tired...and I didn't want to spend time with them in class let alone when I wasn't on the clock (that got a chuckle, but I may have been serious with a few of them).  Jon just started saying yeah and they left not really believing him.  As soon as they all cleared out, Eric gave us a ride home and I was sleeping within in 30mins.

After prom the students then go off to one of their houses for an unofficial after party.  I heard that the party cost north of 10K USD, but I don't have a firm number.  Only a few juniors and seniors were "sick" on Monday, so at least they shook it off.  No drinking age here in Venezuela, so the conversation of drinking is much different than the States.  I was just glad no one drove home and got in a wreck.

Summary

The seniors are wrapping up their final week and a half at CIC (only 4 more days with me until finals), and they are excited (and lazy).  To their credit, the 5th block is really wearing on everyone.  The staff cars roll in later and leave as close to contract time as they can now.  I think the long days have everyone looking towards the end a little closer than usual.  

Flights are becoming harder to get and much more expensive as inflation is continuing to rise and Venezuela still not paying the airlines.  My foreign hire friends that are staying are frantically looking for flights home for Christmas next year now.  It's wild.

Civil unrest continues, but in more secluded pockets.  Shortages continue, my neighborhood is allegedly not going to have water two days a week to ration it.  One colleague has not had water in two weeks.  Think about it, no dishes, clothes washing, showering or anything.  My building won't get drinking water until the end of the week.  So it goes.

Ryan Robinson's Links of Knowledge 

Only going to give you one link, and I'll post the story below it for you.  

Caracas Chronicles writer Juan Cristobal Nagel:

Every morning, before I get out of bed, when my alarm goes off at 6:00 AM, I check my email for the news roundup from Venezuela.

I really should stop doing that. On mornings such as today’s, reading it gives me a knot in my stomach.

Here’s what I woke up to – what all Venezuelans woke up to – today:

• At 3:15 AM, the National Guard and the National Police attacked the student protest campgrounds in Baruta and Chacao. Many were detained.
• Warnings are raised about the quality of Caracas’ drinking water.
• Director of press freedom NGO Un Mundo Sin Mordaza is detained.
• Opposition radio show Plomo Parejo suspended from the air.
• Private school principals in Bolívar state are fired
• El Universal only has paper for a few more weeks.
• Failures in the Amuay Refinery stop gasoline plant.
• Maduro acknowledges 20% of Venezuela’s industries are not working.
• In 2014 there have been fewer dollars disbursed for imports than in the same period in 2013.
• Cheese industry about to go bankrupt due to a lack of packaging material.
• Venezuelan Chamber of Packaging (glass an aluminum for food) says the industry is paralized due to a lack of dollars.
• Steel industry has been on strike for fifteen days.
• $4 billion debt has airlines reconsidering leaving Venezuela altogether. They are contemplating international legal arbitration options.
• Government owes car assembly plants 2.8 billion.
• Electricity rationing in Zulia.
• Chacao businesses are geting their water from water trucks.
• Attempted mutiny in Los Teques leaves several wounded – prisoners and their relatives.

And that’s just a slow news day!

That gives you a pretty good idea of a day here.  Our bubble at school remains fairly strong, but it's hard to not notice many of these things daily. 

That is about all I have for right now.  I'm going to try to conjure up another Cuba post here in the next few days to give you more insight on that trip.  

Only 31 days until the end of school, 34 days until the World Cup/Brazil, 47 days until Spain/Running with the Bulls, and 57 days until I return stateside. But who's counting.  

Hope you're well.

Until next time,

KRS