Feb
25
On good days, I can’t believe that two months have gone by so quickly. On bad days, I feel like I’ve been here for years.
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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Posted in Caracas, Expat, Getting settled in foreign country, Immigrant Families, Immigrants, Moving, Moving Abroad, Traffic in Caracas, Venezuela Caracas Expat Families Expatriates Moving Abroad Venezuela Venezuelan Culture
Feb
15
For people coming from North American cultures, it is often hard to get used to what can feel like
opposite cultural norms in other places. I’m going to talk about two – personal space and staring.
I think that the whole personal space phenomenon only exists within the US borders (Canada may be included, too). For most other people, standing at arms distance to speak with someone is unheard of – much less practiced. For instance, in most Spanish and French speaking countries, it is customary to greet people, even for the first time, with a kiss. Right there you eliminate the possibility of keeping a “safe” distance. Once that barrier has been breached, it is likely that the rest of your conversation will be held at a very close proximity. The funny thing is, when I am in cultures with this norm, I’m perfectly fine. But, if someone dares to try the same thing while I’m in the states, I am practically offended. It’s like my mind shifts its expectations depending on the geographic location.
As for staring, it can also feel like an invasion of personal space. I remember going to Haiti on vacation as a teenager and felt so self-conscious because people kept staring at me. Contrary to American culture where when someone is caught doing this they immediately feel shame, you can actually have a staring contest (which you will surely lose) with Haitians. They are not at all bothered by being caught staring – nor do they feel the need to explain why they’re doing it. I find Venezuelans to be similar – although, they try to be a bit more discrete. It’s a good thing I’ve already shifted my norms 
Photo credits: Marc Shandro and B@man
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Posted in Cultural Assimilation, Cultural Expectations, Culture, Expat, Haiti, Social Norms, Venezuela Cultural Assimilation Cultural Dilemmas Cultural Norms Culture Expatriates Haiti Immigrants Venezuela Venezuelan Culture
