Woah, what adventures I have gotten into since the last time I logged in! Nicole came back and moved in with me and the two other guys in Merida. It was really nice to get her back. I met this really sweet guy and he took us around everywhere for the next couple of days. We went to this place called the valley where they make these special little cheese filled pastries and sweet wine and they grow trout that you can catch yourself and have cooked in front of you. We also did a lot of soccer watching and dancing and I met this kids family. His name is Gabriel and he lives in the barrio on the outskirts of the city. It was cool to get his perspective on things because he comes from a tough situation. He has gotten really involved in the government organizations in his community and has received health care from the Cubans that live nearby. It was also interesting to see his house and meet his family. They were all difficult to understand until I asked them to talk a bit more slowly. Then they were really friendly and shared everything they had with me. We were watching the finals of the American Cup and they shared their sangria and food. By the end of the night, Gabriel and I went and bought this huge box of beer to share with everyone. It was a really good feeling. Gabriel also took me to a consejo communal where people debate community issues – great info for my project. I ended up getting sick from the cold weather there and not sleeping very much so I had to lay low for a whole day. At night we got on a bus for Barquisimeto. Gabriel called his uncle and he invited us to stay with his family there. It was really nice of them because they live out in los ranchos where everyone is poor and things are pretty desperate. However, I learned ALOT there about how Chavezs polcies are really working. I will have to write more about that later because my time on the computer is out. Right now we are in Coro, close to the coast, so we will be on the beach a few days before our return to Caracas aka chaos. much love
posted Thursday July 2007