Be Careful of the Ice
Sunday, November 01, 2009
It has been awhile since I have checked in. This is not because there has been little happening here, but more because there has been a lot.
In September, Zachary learned how to ride his bike without training wheels! He insisted I remove them Then we went to Campo Carabobo where he practiced. We tied a sarong around his waist so as to be able to hold him and let go without him knowing. He did great. By the time we were through, both Carrie and I were pretty well spent. It was a fun day.
In October we took a trip to a town called San Cristóbal. It was a really long drive for not a whole lot. We did get to drive into Colombia which was pretty cool. Until we got back to Venezuela and were stopped for the umpteenth time by the police.
On our way there, we encountered so many alcabalas (police check points). I swear there was one every two miles. At one, the cop asked for all the paper work. When he was all finished, he asked us if we wanted to buy ice. I had to ask him twice what he said and then I had to verify it with Carrie…he asked if we wanted any ice. We said no and drove on. On the way home, at the same spot, the cops asked us the same thing. We both looked around to see what was there: a truck, a table, and a canopy. We said no and moved on. Later, we confirmed that the police were trying to sell us drugs so that they could stop us again and hassle us for having them.
Our power has gone out at least fifty times since we’ve gotten back. For awhile, we could count on not having power for a significant portion of each day. Lately, this has ebbed and we are grateful for that. We are told the problem will get worse before it gets better. The infrastructure is crumbling and nothing is being done to fix it.
Two weeks ago, the mother of one of my students told me that when her husband returned home late at night, he was jumped in the basement and forced at gunpoint to open his apartment. The thieves tied the two of them up, allowing the girls to sleep and then ransacked the apartment. Eventually they moved on to the other units on their floor. When all had been burglarized, the thieves left.
Last week, several prominent families in the school had a similar experience, except the entire building was hit. One of our eighth graders spent four hours with a gun to the back of her head while the thieves threatened kidnapping. It is a scary time in a scary place. We are anxious to leave and find somewhere safer.
We have been applying to schools online. We have received some good responses and are excited about the prospects. It is always fun to look at information and picture yourself in that new spot. At this point, every country looks better than Venezuela.
I have just finished my class on evaluating children’s literature and am fully immersed in my library classes. I have also been trying to implement some of the new ideas I have learned about. It makes for a busy guy, but it is fulfilling. Carrie is gearing up to start tryouts for The Wizard of Oz. This has her losing sleep already… We are busy counting days, wondering where Christmas will find us this year. We have already booked our trip to Boston for the job fair, but beyond that we know nothing about the future. It’s sort of a fun place to be.
MJR
It has been awhile since I have checked in. This is not because there has been little happening here, but more because there has been a lot.
In September, Zachary learned how to ride his bike without training wheels! He insisted I remove them Then we went to Campo Carabobo where he practiced. We tied a sarong around his waist so as to be able to hold him and let go without him knowing. He did great. By the time we were through, both Carrie and I were pretty well spent. It was a fun day.
In October we took a trip to a town called San Cristóbal. It was a really long drive for not a whole lot. We did get to drive into Colombia which was pretty cool. Until we got back to Venezuela and were stopped for the umpteenth time by the police.
On our way there, we encountered so many alcabalas (police check points). I swear there was one every two miles. At one, the cop asked for all the paper work. When he was all finished, he asked us if we wanted to buy ice. I had to ask him twice what he said and then I had to verify it with Carrie…he asked if we wanted any ice. We said no and drove on. On the way home, at the same spot, the cops asked us the same thing. We both looked around to see what was there: a truck, a table, and a canopy. We said no and moved on. Later, we confirmed that the police were trying to sell us drugs so that they could stop us again and hassle us for having them.
Our power has gone out at least fifty times since we’ve gotten back. For awhile, we could count on not having power for a significant portion of each day. Lately, this has ebbed and we are grateful for that. We are told the problem will get worse before it gets better. The infrastructure is crumbling and nothing is being done to fix it.
Two weeks ago, the mother of one of my students told me that when her husband returned home late at night, he was jumped in the basement and forced at gunpoint to open his apartment. The thieves tied the two of them up, allowing the girls to sleep and then ransacked the apartment. Eventually they moved on to the other units on their floor. When all had been burglarized, the thieves left.
Last week, several prominent families in the school had a similar experience, except the entire building was hit. One of our eighth graders spent four hours with a gun to the back of her head while the thieves threatened kidnapping. It is a scary time in a scary place. We are anxious to leave and find somewhere safer.
We have been applying to schools online. We have received some good responses and are excited about the prospects. It is always fun to look at information and picture yourself in that new spot. At this point, every country looks better than Venezuela.
I have just finished my class on evaluating children’s literature and am fully immersed in my library classes. I have also been trying to implement some of the new ideas I have learned about. It makes for a busy guy, but it is fulfilling. Carrie is gearing up to start tryouts for The Wizard of Oz. This has her losing sleep already… We are busy counting days, wondering where Christmas will find us this year. We have already booked our trip to Boston for the job fair, but beyond that we know nothing about the future. It’s sort of a fun place to be.
MJR
posted by Bronx to Timbuktu at 12:16 AM
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