Tuesday, May 27, 2014

1800 MPG Goes Buzzworthy: 10 Things A 1st Year Ex-Pat in VZ Misses About Home

Hello.

Hope things are going well for you.  The school year is winding down, and we are finally in our last week of extended days (thank God).  I know I get no sympathy from stay at home parents and people that work 10s or 12s, but the extra class hurts the brain.

Big week at CIC, Senior Finals, a variety of celebrations (there seems to be no shortage of them), graduation on Saturday, and the infamous graduation party following.  I was one of the secondary teachers that were "lucky" enough to get invited, so I'm interested to see what it is all about.  Jon and Ryan tell me this is a US graduation party on wealthy Venezuelan steroids. Top end food and booze.  We'll see.

I was really struggling for a subject to discuss in today's blog, but with the help of two conversations I stumbled upon one.  I was talking to Ryan recently about his hatred for the website Buzzfeed ("The hottest, most social content on the web!" - Yep, that's their slogan).  He describes it as low level, lackluster journalism, and another example that we are drifting near Idiocracy.  Ryan uses the fact that 20 ish million people get their news from Buzzfeed as opposed to 12ish million for the New York Times as proof that society is decaying, the end is near, and the Cubs will win the World Series in his lifetime.  Ryan also hates most things. But I do hate the "What type of .... are you quizzes" or "33 actors dogs that have a better life than" you countdowns.

I was then talking to Jon today and we both confessed that while we are looking forward to going to Brazil for the World Cup (and me to Spain after), that we both sometimes wish we were returning to the good old U-S-of-A.  We frequently ask each other, "How much freedom is (insert food, service, or activity) that? What is the first thing you are going to eat when you get back? Or, "You know where (insert problem, complication, or failure) doesn't happen? 'Murica!"

I figured there it is! My blog for the week.

Don't worry Ryan, I won't tell anyone it was your 38th birthday this past Friday and that you were so mad at all of us for telling the kids to wish you happy birthday.  And, that you tore down the birthday sign that we had all signed and put on your library.  I'll leave it out.

Ryan's birthday cake. Designed by Jon including an offensive name (Region Rats) and Ryan's favorite things. 



I decided I would make a Buzzfeed list of the ten things one misses the most as an ex-pat in a third world country near the end of their first year teaching abroad.

10 Things A First Year Ex-Pat Teacher In Venezuela Misses Near the End of the School Year (In no particular order)

1) Running, Drinkable Tap Water

Sounds simple enough right? Wrong, a older colleague of mine hasn't had water in nearly 3 weeks.  My apartment has been spotty at best and I know the neighborhood by Jon and Ryan is awful as well.  Right now I don't water, which is great that I don't have to do the dishes or shower, but is awful because these goddamn ants are everywhere (not just my apartment) and I don't want them to have a party in my sink.  Being able to turn the faucet and just pour a HUGE glass of water is something I'm looking forward to for sure.  I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but last week I ran out of the big jugs of water we have and my building just randomly stopped selling them.  I had to go find a kiosk that sold it the next day and they wouldn't exchange one of them.  Again, it could be way worse, but nothing is worse than not having water to drink and not being able to shower before going to senior convocation.  Just saying.  

2) Flushing Toilet Paper 

I know this sounds gross and it can be.  Before I moved down here I had no idea that the indoor plumbing here couldn't take it.  I thought everywhere flushed toilet paper, WRONG. Needless to say that on multi-day stays in posadas, warm days, or days the custodians at school are busy,  it's not a great deal.  I prefer flushing then throwing it away into plastic bags and then throwing that out with the trash.  Ok, I'm done.

3) Traffic Rules

You hate stopping at stop signs? You swear that one particular stop light is possessed and stays red for-ev-er? Don't sweat it.  I can't wait to be stopped at a either of those traffic enforcement tools, crank up whatever music I'm listening to, sing along aloud with no shame, and wait for people to move in an orderly fashion.  The daily drives to school and back, as well as the walks to the gym have frustrated me with the bumper-cars-cum-amoeba-cytoplasmic-streaming chaos.

4) Small to Non-Present Lines

Discussed it in previous columns, but the concept of a "cola" (line) is different here.  Longer waits (45min to an hour) in a grocery store, gas station, or bank just isn't cool.  Neither are the employees of those establishments that work at a snails pace or use their phone on the job. 

5) ATM Machine/Banks That Work Consistently

Pretty self explanatory.  The bank website is consistently down, the ATMs frequently are without money, and sometimes the cards won't work as a result of the problems.  Think about it, ATMs without money.  Yeah, it happens.  Also, think about the availability of them in the States.  Finally, think about using it as a debit card and getting cash back.  Yep, be happy.  

Oh, you wanted money? HAHA.

6) Peanut Butter, Chicken, Asparagus, Milk Not in a Warm Box, other Non-Native Foods, and Gluten.



Four words: PBJ's aren't normal here.  [Gasp!] I know, blasphemous! And I haven't seen any in the last month.  Chicken is scarce (at least in my neighborhood markets) and I am scared to drink the milk.  It will be awesome to go home, go to HyVee/Fareway, and load up on veggies and chocolate milk.  I will be Ron Burgandy.

7) Clean Water

I hate showering as much as the next guy, but when I do shower, I want to get clean. The water here (when on, see #1) usually comes out a shit brown color at first and then turns into normal "looking" water.  That "normal" looking water isn't normal.  The treatment facility here isn't designed to filter/clean water for 1.2 million people (or however many) so the water is heavy and leaves your body and hair greasy with a slight film.

8) Variety 

Meat, chips, cereal, veggies, fruit, beer, canned goods, supplies- all of it basically rotates in terms of supply and brand.  The simple fact that you can walk down an aisle and it will be entirely filled with Doritos may be great one day, but when you get bored of them OR can't find soap or toilet paper, than you enjoy the variety that stores in the US have. 

9) Driveable Roads

Clinton has its own problems with giant craters in some of the more dated roads, but none are as bad as here.  I think you could drive US Military Buffalo and still break an axle or pop a tire.  But, I will say the surprise of not being able to see the potholes at night or before they are unmarked in the daytime is like Russian Roulette for you car- every street is exciting. 
I give this baby 2 to 1 odds it goes no more than a month without a problem here. 

10) Family/Home

Being in a different culture for this long is definitely a challenge that has it's various phases.  At this point, most foreign hires are just ready to go back home to the culture we have been predominately raised in.  It's not to say that this or any other abroad culture is bad, it just isn't ours.  There are societal aspects that make my mid-western culture unique and I miss them. Mainly I miss my family, but also the slower, more friendly pace that is spread out across a less dense area.  Being able to speak and understand the people you are surrounded by in public would be nice too.  

Ryan Robinson's Link of Knowledge

The Venezuelan government pays its debt to the airlines...well, some of them.  
Amputations skyrocket due to lack of medical supplies.  
Wives of two ousted Venezuelan mayors win election and replace their husbands.  
Venezuela and Palestine become oil and diplomatic partners. 
Protests aren't over. 

That's all she wrote.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the friends I have made here and the travel's I've had, but I just wanted to reflect on the things I miss from home.

Also, if you have come this far and haven't seen the movie, check out this trailer.  You have to watch it, it's like looking into the future (but hopefully not).


Don't worry next week's blog will be better, as I'll be able to talk about graduation and how it compares to the States

Hope you're well.

Until Next Time,

KRS

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Ze Germans

Yo...

I hope the week has been kind to you and that the impending summertime is giving you more energy to get through the days.  For my teacher friends, you're almost there- keep gutting it out.

The "grind" (cliche city) is really getting heavy now.  We're in the middle of week 5 (or so, I've lost count) of extended period days and I'm still surprised how one extra class to teach can drain you that much.  I suppose that it could be worse and we only have one more week of them left, but it's tough.

Other than that, it's a slow roll to the finish.

This past weekend a group of us left Valencia (thank God) to go to a small mountainous town called Bejuma.  It's maybe an hour and a half away (it felt like 20 mins for me as I fell asleep in Jon and Randi's car- haha).

The place, Casa Maria, was pretty cool.  It was run by a wealthy German couple, Norbert and Gaby, who have lived in Venezuela for 44 years.  Their compound/facility/grounds is one part tree nursery, one part wildlife preserve, and one part posada (motel). It was literally cut into a huge tropical forest and he built nearly all of it himself.
The deck/social area.
People paying for things. 

He designed nearly all of the buildings, laid the tile, and made the entire complex almost self-sufficient.  His buildings catch and distribute water, the grounds are full of fruit trees, and the living quarters were really well done.  This guy had some crazy vehicles too.  A Mercedes-Bens land rover type thing, several trucks, boats, campers, and other toys were found all over the grounds.  All in good condition, a little too good of condition...
Dahhhgs? Ya, I like doogs? Jon and Rexin, lovers of animals.
Taking in all of these aspects of his place, his obvious wealth, yearly trips to the fatherland, his engineering background, and intelligence Jon and I had our suspicions.  We figured spy, possible descendant of a German who fled the country, or just a really eclectic dude.  Regardless, I watched him pretty close.

Creep indigenous people painting. 

The digs. Those are spears to the left.
The crazy thing about Norbert was that he wasn't afraid to talk about his treks to the States and the tours he's taken there.  Especially the one in Idaho that showcased a US Government prototype nuclear jet engine.  he was pretty interested in it... a little too interested.

Elephant beetle.

Future dinner.

Mono recordings only. 

Peacocks just hanging out.

I may or may not have eaten their older brother. 
The weekend basically was just eat, sit around/read, eat, nap, read, eat, relax, and sleep.  I can't speak for the others that went with, but I feel most are nearing burnt out.  Some are a little more down than others and the challenges of teaching where we teach and living in this country are wearing on everyone.  Luckily, we have only 13 school days until Final Exams.

Ryan Robinson's (who has a big birthday Friday) Links of Knowledge 

Non-Silicone enhanced women are falling from the norm.  
U.S sanctions could hurt the opposition.  
Venezuelan mail stopping international service.  
More airlines stopping service to Venezuela.  
Danny Glover vs. Jared Leto over Venezuelan politics. Does Jared know that Mr. Glover killed a predator?

Wrong battle Jared.

Not much else going on down here.  Everyone is hoping and praying the flight situations stay positive until we can all leave to return home.  Otherwise, it could be a very long bus ride home.  Next year, it may be almost impossible for my friends still working here to get home if things continue.

While the days are dull here, the impending World Cup trip will provide some better material to share.  Morris and I have a special project going along with the WC so keep an eye open for that.

If you can spare them, my Grama could use some more positive vibes and prayers as she is going through radiation and chemo.  She's a tough cookie, but any support is huge.

Just got word that my favorite band of all-time, Pearl Jam is coming to Moline, IL.  I cannot believe it.  If anyone has any contacts in ways to go about getting backstage passes or anything like that please let me know.  I'm willing to pay whatever it would take to meet the band and/or watch from the side of the stage.

With graduation ceremony and the senior graduation party looming, I'm sure I'll be able to entertain you for a few more weeks.  

Enjoy the rest of the week.

Until Next Time,

KRS

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

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 BolĂ­var 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