I guess it’s good thing, because time only flies when you’re having fun, right? Jokes aside, overall it has been a great 6 months. Not only am I feeling better about being here, I don’t feel at all homesick. I think our move to a better apartment helped me get the feeling of “home”, so it was definitely worth all the hassle.

My Spanish continues to improve and I seem to be past my learning plateau. That, and I’ve finally gotten into a routine (what more can Iask for ) We also now have our favorite stores, restaurants and bars. This makes going out for a bit of relaxation a lot easier and worthwhile.

Six months seemed like such a long time when we first arrived. I remember someone telling me it would probably take about a year to speak Spanish fluently and I felt like that was forever. From the looks of things, I think he was right on target. I also expected to be working by now. Surprisingly, I am not yet bothered about my unemployed status. I am making the most of the time I have with kids and also doing things that I would have never have had the time for while working full-time. I actually see it as a blessing to be able to live well and have all this free time. But, I imagine this feeling of bliss will is only temporary…I’ll let you know how I’m feeling about it in another couple months

We pretty much knew when my husband signed the lease on the first apartment that it was temporary. We planned to stay there six months and find a new place with more space and amenities. Well, six months came and went and we found out that there was some sort of housing crisis building (don’t ask me), so that meant paying upwards of $3,000 for a place of our liking. That was a no-go. Luckily, our landlord was very understanding and told us we could move whenever we found a place and didn’t have to sign a new lease.

After a couple false alarms, we finally found a place reasonably priced without getting outbid at the last minute. That really was the hardest part. The rest of it has been the normal nuances of moving. We managed to pack up everything in small boxes (we didn’t have any furniture) and since the new place is about five minutes from the first, all of our stuff was moved in about three hours.

One MAJOR lesson learned was getting internet service transferred. We had to wait almost two weeks and spoke to 8 different customer service representatives before our service was connected. Now, our modem is on the fritz and is causing our connection to be spotty. I guess you can’t win them all.

My one piece of advice to an expat looking for a place in Caracas is: be very patient. With limited housing, there are a lot of expats who pay through the nose simply because they feel there are no other options. But if you can hold out, you can negotiate “better” prices.

I feel as though I’ve learned a lot in a short period – maybe that’s why I’m tired. Here’s a few of the highlights -

1) I am so glad that I decided to not even think about working for the first three months. I don’t know how I could have managed a job and getting the kids settled. It took me these past two months just to get all their school supplies. Hence my first lesson: there is no Wal-Mart or Super Target equivalent in Caracas. The closest thing I found to a Costco or BJ’s is a store called Makro and it is located on the outskirts.

2) Always allow for an extra 30-40 minutes when going somewhere by car. Traffic here is simply erratic. At first I was told it’s really bad on Fridays because that’s when people are getting ready to go away for the weekend. Then when it was equally horrendous the following Tuesday, I was told it was due to protests going on all over the city. Then when it was even worse on Thursday, I was told people were getting ready for the impending holiday the following week. Bottom line: traffic can be horrible at any time.

3) I need to relax. If I go to the store looking for something that I saw there the day before and it’s gone – too bad. No one there is going to go out of his/her way to find a hidden stash of my peanut butter or specific brand of paper towels and that’s OKAY. Life will go on. The more I get into this mindset, I find that other little things that used to bother me simply roll off my back. Therefore, I am a calmer version of myself (I’m sure my husband is enjoying that )

So, after two months, the patient seems to be very healthy.

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Well, after much thought and many unforeseen circumstances, I have decided to withdraw my candidacy.

While I was mulling over what to do, I realized that a lot of the other candidates were a lot older than me. I may be speculating as to the reason they waited to pursue this career, but one of the main reasons I felt it wasn’t the time is because of the kids. I couldn’t imagine making them move every two to three years. I know that there are kids who do this and end up successful; however, I don’t think my kids (or their parents) are cut out for that lifestyle.

Oddly enough, this wasn’t a difficult choice to make and it’s one of those times that I feel like it’s the right thing to do. I enjoyed the experience of applying for the position (I chose the Management Cone) and I feel much better prepared should I choose to try again in the future. As I described before, the process if quite long and in a way it gives you a chance to really think about the life you are choosing.

So, the plan for the next five to seven years is that there will only be one diplomat in the family

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As I began wrapping my head around my move to Venezuela, I found there were a few tips that I needed to remind myself of in order to maintain a sense of calm. Here they are in no particular order:

1) Actively work on keeping your sanity. This would be a good time figure out how you can best do this – meditation, medication, exercise – whatever gets you through the day.

2) Make sure your passports are current.

3) Make sure you have the appropriate paperwork submitted (i.e. visas, work permits, etc.). The best place to find this information is the country’s consulate or embassy.

4) Breathe – it’s amazing how easily this can be forgotten.

5) Research local/international schools (if applicable).

6) Get you medical papers current and check to see if any immunizations are required (this information can be found at the State Department).

7) Breathe – as you can see, this tip is very important.

8) Book your flight. Find out if it works best to get a one way ticket, open-ended or round trip with a much later date. I find that most airlines have different policies.

9) Pack – this may cause you to refer back to tips #4 and #7.

10) Research any newcomers’ clubs that may be able to show you the ropes when you get there.

Did I leave anything out?

Photo credits: Boxes, boxes, boxes by audreythebug and Travel by fdecomite

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