Bull Fights and Preparations

November 18, 2007

We’ve had some eventful times.

There’s a fair in Valencia right now. Actually it ends today, but we have been twice. The first time we got there at 4:00 on a Sunday afternoon and they were just getting set up. We wandered a bit, bought some cotton candy, let Zachary ride the carousel, and then we headed home.

Neither of us were feeling that well. We have both been sick for the first time since arriving here. Carrie decided to waste most of her week at the doctor and the lab which sounded like an experience in itself. I weathered it out, counting on the info that Carrie gathered and using the drugs the doctor gave her. Thankfully, it was just a virus that came and went.

Now we are better. Last Thursday, a friend invited us to a concert at a local restaurant. Apparently it was a fairly famous Venezuelan band although we had never heard of them. We lined up a babysitter at the last minute and connected with our friends around 9 pm (on a school night!). We headed off for this club where we waited outside for a seat. When we finally sat down we were told that we couldn’t order anything until we had ordered a bottle of whiskey. We got the cheapest one we could find ($110) and nothing else. We danced to the opening act and had fun with the recorded music, but when the main act hadn’t taken the stage at 12:45 we decided to skip out and head home.

Saturday morning was a holiday bazaar at the school. Afterwards we gathered some folks together and headed over to the feria once again. This time we paid for the bull fight. We asked Zachary straight up if he wanted to go in. He said, “I don’t want to watch a bull die.” Neither did Sonya so we left him with her and headed for the nose bleed seats. There was cold beer, but not enough to get through that ordeal. We only watched two; the first one left Carrie in tears, in the second one they “mercifully” let the bull go. What an excruciating event. I did not see the entertainment. I like steak as much as the next guy, but I see no reason to make any animal go through that. We blazed a trail for the fair.
There was good music, great food and lots of things for Zman. We strolled around the grounds for several hours until the crowd was so thick we could barely move. Then we climbed in the car and headed home. Overall, it was fantastic. At least I can say I have seen a bullfight and rendered my own opinion.

Oh wait, I almost forgot! We got a great email this week regarding the upcoming vote. First, let me give you some background. It seems that in prior elections, many of the ballot boxes have been rigged to produce only yes votes. This created a general air of mistrust and caused many people to become more defiant of the government. In subsequent elections, folks were required to state their choice. Those that chose someone other than Hugo mysteriously lost their jobs and many were blackballed from their profession altogether. This has led to a general dislike for elections in general. The upcoming one is particularly sticky as it deals with constitutional reform, including abolishing term limits. There is a lot of speculation about what the people’s reaction will be when the reforms are overwhelmingly approved.

Our school is a polling place for the December 2 ballot. That happens to be a Sunday. We have been told that the school will most probably be closed the two week days prior to and the two week days immediately after the election giving us a six day weekend. After reading the following email however, you may note that it will not really be a vacation.

We would like to inform you that on December 2, 2007, the Referendum will take place to approve/disapprove some of the changes in the Venezuelan Constitution. As you know there have already been some protests around the country for/against the Referendum. Therefore, we came out with some strategies and logistics as a precaution:

1. We may not have class the Thursday and Friday before and Monday and Tuesday after the Referendum; this means that the school might be closed from November 29th and return on the 5th of December. These dates are tentative depending on the situation (formal information will be provided soon).
   
2. During the referendum you will not be able to come to school, so make sure if you need anything at home, to take the items on November 28th.
   
3. At any time from now on, if necessary, we will activate our phone tree to keep you informed. We will post any urgent information on our school’s web site.
   
4. Extra Cash: Should it be necessary for you to buy emergency food items, checks can be cashed if you give them to (name withheld) prior to 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 13th or Monday, November 19th.
   
5. In your apartment, you should keep extra candles and matches, extra food including canned items, pastas, and other staples, including paper products. Also, have extra bottled drinking water on hand.
   
6. If any protests or marches occur in Venezuela , avoid being in those areas.
   
7. If you haven’t already registered with the US Embassy, do so through the following website: https://travelregistration.state.gov

It is not recommended to travel outside the city or around the city during the day of the Referendum. Please keep close to home so that it will be easy for us to contact you if necessary. Monitor the news on the radio or TV.

Please note that this is only a precaution and a security measure and is not intended to scare or to worry you. However, we simply have no way of knowing exactly what is going to occur during these days, and we therefore feel that this is prudent and necessary to take the suggestions with seriousness.
Thank you,

Makes it easy to not be concerned, huh? The bright side is that we will only have one more full week of school between now and Christmas. The bummer is that we’ll have to make up the missed days somehow. Last year they did this on two different Saturdays. If the past is any indication of the future, everything should be pretty peaceful. Part of me hopes not. These reforms don’t seem like a good idea. I don’t like the direction the country is moving. If the people don’t stand up now, things could get really ugly later. We’ll stock up what we can. We live on the seventh floor so that should keep us out of range of bullets. We also live on the same block as the governor so there should be heavy security here. We’ll see how it goes.

This week we are going to the mountains. I’ll try to remember to take pictures.
MJR