Where in the World?
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Life has been busy. We have been applying for jobs around the world while finding more to do right here at home.
Last weekend was a three day weekend so a dozen of us trekked off to Barinas to go rafting. We arrived Friday evening after a seven hour drive. Our accommodations were a one room cabin for all of us. We swam a little, ate a tremendous dinner, and introduced ourselves to the baby river otter that has taken up residence in the campamento.
Saturday morning it started to rain. This is a good thing for rafting as it brought the water levels up a bit. Unfortunately, it also triggered Z’s asthma. While the others headed off for the river, Carrie and I bustled Zman off to the clinic in the next village. The good news is that we didn’t have to wait at all. The pediatrician was there and saw us right away. He whisked us to the Emergency room, hooked the little guy up with some oxygen and Albuterol and let us sit for three hours. We ended up missing the first day’s rafting and lunch, but Zachary felt much better and could actually get oxygen into his lungs.
The next day found us at the top of a gorge where we embarked on the Class Four portion of the trip. Magnificent views, beautiful water, and several jumps off a tall bridge; this was how we spent Sunday. None of us wanted to go home. After a fantastic BBQ lunch we loaded the cars and headed out. The trip back took a little less time, but we still arrived in Valencia after dark.
We have been losing power every day for the last month. Hugo is trying to get everyone to conserve and use less. One way he encourages this is by cutting off the power every night. Sometimes it’s for an hour and sometimes more. Monday night we lost power about 8:00 and hadn’t regained it by the time we left for school the next day at 7. It’s a little annoying and really hard to get used to. It makes me work that much harder for a new place to go.
We have applied to schools around the world. Some have told us no, some have ignored us completely, and a few have given us good responses. I am hoping for a library position, but am a little discouraged as most places want someone with experience in the position, of which I have none. We keep plugging away, though. We have gotten nice responses from India, Bahrain, Tunisia, and Tanzania so we’ll see how it works out. We probably won’t know for sure until February when we go to Boston for the job fair.
In the meantime we have purchased tickets for Ecuador in December. We are excited to see a new place. We are also excited to get out of Venezuela for awhile. Everything is crumbling here; the latest shortages come in the form of coffee and sugar.
My classes are going well. They are a welcome diversion. It is somewhat difficult to get lessons in on time when the power shuts off at random intervals, but I am managing.
I am a little homesick. I am tired of this nomadic lifestyle and I am tired of doing without my stuff. I miss my things and I want to have them in my hands once more. Of course, I know that should I go home tomorrow, I would have itchy feet next week, but that is little solace. I want to go home.
MJR
Life has been busy. We have been applying for jobs around the world while finding more to do right here at home.
Last weekend was a three day weekend so a dozen of us trekked off to Barinas to go rafting. We arrived Friday evening after a seven hour drive. Our accommodations were a one room cabin for all of us. We swam a little, ate a tremendous dinner, and introduced ourselves to the baby river otter that has taken up residence in the campamento.
Saturday morning it started to rain. This is a good thing for rafting as it brought the water levels up a bit. Unfortunately, it also triggered Z’s asthma. While the others headed off for the river, Carrie and I bustled Zman off to the clinic in the next village. The good news is that we didn’t have to wait at all. The pediatrician was there and saw us right away. He whisked us to the Emergency room, hooked the little guy up with some oxygen and Albuterol and let us sit for three hours. We ended up missing the first day’s rafting and lunch, but Zachary felt much better and could actually get oxygen into his lungs.
The next day found us at the top of a gorge where we embarked on the Class Four portion of the trip. Magnificent views, beautiful water, and several jumps off a tall bridge; this was how we spent Sunday. None of us wanted to go home. After a fantastic BBQ lunch we loaded the cars and headed out. The trip back took a little less time, but we still arrived in Valencia after dark.
We have been losing power every day for the last month. Hugo is trying to get everyone to conserve and use less. One way he encourages this is by cutting off the power every night. Sometimes it’s for an hour and sometimes more. Monday night we lost power about 8:00 and hadn’t regained it by the time we left for school the next day at 7. It’s a little annoying and really hard to get used to. It makes me work that much harder for a new place to go.
We have applied to schools around the world. Some have told us no, some have ignored us completely, and a few have given us good responses. I am hoping for a library position, but am a little discouraged as most places want someone with experience in the position, of which I have none. We keep plugging away, though. We have gotten nice responses from India, Bahrain, Tunisia, and Tanzania so we’ll see how it works out. We probably won’t know for sure until February when we go to Boston for the job fair.
In the meantime we have purchased tickets for Ecuador in December. We are excited to see a new place. We are also excited to get out of Venezuela for awhile. Everything is crumbling here; the latest shortages come in the form of coffee and sugar.
My classes are going well. They are a welcome diversion. It is somewhat difficult to get lessons in on time when the power shuts off at random intervals, but I am managing.
I am a little homesick. I am tired of this nomadic lifestyle and I am tired of doing without my stuff. I miss my things and I want to have them in my hands once more. Of course, I know that should I go home tomorrow, I would have itchy feet next week, but that is little solace. I want to go home.
MJR
posted by Bronx to Timbuktu at 5:17 PM
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