Feb
01
So the day after the earthquake in Haiti, I was trying to keep things somewhat stable for the kids and took them to school. As soon as I arrived, I had parents and teachers who I did not know coming up to me expressing their concerns about what happened. One thing that I have realized about Venezuelans is that they are genuine people.
A couple weeks after I got here, I came down with a stomach bug and had to stay in bed for two days. This meant that my husband had to to handle drop offs and pick ups, as well as meals – which meant going down to the closest restaurant for take-out. Well, once I was better and out and about, the first Venezuelan I saw who knew about my illness said “se siente usted mejor” to which I responded “si, gracias” and then he looked to the sky and said “gracias a dios”. Now I know this may sound corny, but it felt genuine. And let me tell you, I got the same reaction from everyone else who knew; including the waiter at the restaurant where my husband got the take-out 
I guess it should have been no surprise when their concern multiplied for a situation that was a million times worse. Well, their kindness didn’t stop with the impromptu prayers. It was followed by an abundance of offers for help and donation. Those who couldn’t offer cash offered food. I helped out at the Haitian Embassy for a day and was astonished at the donations – from parents who recently bought clothes for their children and wanted to send them to Haiti – to a small business-owner who wanted to send her stock of cheese. I know that the world has been generously supporting the relief efforts, but I continue to feel humbled by the way Venezuelans seem to have taken the tragedy of the people in Haiti to heart.
This picture is of the donations collected at my kids’ school over the course of a couple of days. Some of the classes are also holding bake sales and next week they are putting on a play from which all the proceeds will go to the Haitian relief efforts. As if they haven’t done so much already.
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Posted in Caracas, Cultural Expectations, Culture, Generosity of Venezuelans, Haiti, Haiti Earthquake Relief Cultural Adaptation Cultural Assimilation Generosity of Venezuelans Haiti Earthquake Relief Venezuela Venezuelan Culture
Jan
29
We’ve now been in Caracas for one month and I thought I would do a self check-up on how we are adapting.
I remember at the end of the kids’ first week of school, I had this feeling as though the situation were temporary. I don’t know if it was because most of the move thus far had felt a bit surreal (it has not sunk in that I now live Venezuela) or if the first week came and went so fast. It made me think of the previous times they had started school and how I felt about it then. While I may have felt a bit of nostalgia, I don’t think it felt so transitory.
I know that a lot of these feelings have to do with the stress that we have been feeling since the earthquake in Haiti, but I can’t help but wonder how long this feeling will last. When I lived abroad during college, I think the excitement overpowered any other feelings (even homesickness) and I can’t recall feeling anything but that.
As for my Spanish, I am noticing that I understand a lot more of what people say. I have confirmed that Venezuelans tend to speak a bit fast – I guess like New Yorkers speak English – so that doesn’t help. Once things settle down a bit more, I plan on signing up for a course and/or enlisting the help of a private tutor. In the meantime, I am not afraid to say “como?” and “no entiendo” 
I still find Venezuelans to be extremely polite and thoughtful and I have been overwhelmed by their support for Haiti during these times. So much so, that I will dedicate an entire post to tell more about their efforts — stay tuned…
Photo credit: a.drian
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Posted in Caracas, Cultural Assimilation, Culture, Expat, First Impressions, Haiti, Haiti Earthquake Relief, Update, Venezuela Caracas Cultural Adaptation Cultural Assimilation Expat Families Expatriates Haiti Haiti Earthquake Relief Venezuela
This picture is of the donations collected at my kids’ school over the course of a couple of days. Some of the classes are also holding bake sales and next week they are putting on a play from which all the proceeds will go to the Haitian relief efforts. As if they haven’t done so much already.
