Radio Mi Condominio

Last Monday, April 26, I was invited to be interviewd on the ProPaz radio program on Radio Mi Condominio. ProPaz is an organization dedicated to cultivating peace not only here in Venezuela, but all over the world.

"La paz mundial no es una utopía. Consideramos que cada quien debe ser proactivo, desde sus pequeños espacios, desde sus realidades cotidianas, para conquistar el objetivo propuesto. Desde ProPaz hemos decidido contribuir, a través de la promoción de la responsabilidad social y de los derechos humanos." Presentación de ProPaz de su página web.

"World peace isn't a utopia. We feel that every person should be proactive in his or her small spaces and daily lives, to conquer the proposed objectives. We at ProPaz have decided to contribute by promoting social responsibility and human rights." ProPaz's website

The radio program started a few months back and is an hour long session on Monday afternoons, accessible via the ProPaz and Radio Mi Condominio websites. Last Monday, there were three of us there to be interviewed. Pedro Ramírez, who is also the president of Rotary Club Las Mercedes, was my interviewer. One of the other interviewees was Nelson Sanz, one of this year's winners of the Rotary Foundation World Peace Fellowship, which will enable him to study at the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. Joining him was Erica, a young woman who is in charge of the Model United Nations program at my university, the Universidad Central de Venezuela.

Nelson, Erica and Pedro during the interview

When asked how to best cultivate peace here in Venezuela, Nelson responded that education is vital in the process. Later, in my interview, I added that it's also important to be exposed to different cultures and peoples in order to begin to break down the prejudices that are so easily formed, but so hard to destroy. Pedro asked me about my impressions of Caracas, what motivated me to come to Venezuela and other aspects of my scholar year so far. He had told me before the interview that it would be just like a conversation between the two of us...with a whole lot of people listening in! He was right, and it was much less nerve-racking than I thought it would be.

The program went by so quickly I couldn't believe it when I saw our radio assistant, Flavia, waving her hand that it was time to wrap things up. The experience was very gratifying and I would most certainly be willing to partake in similar events in the future.

Getting ready to go into the room for my interview!

Pedro, Nelson and Erica, who were on the show for the first half.

Looking in from outside the soundproof radio booth.

All smiles because it was a total success!

Thanks Pedro, Nelson, Erica, Flavia, ProPaz and Radio Mi Condominio!

Farms and a Brazilian Steakhouse!

I was out in Valencia at a Rotary Conference (soon to be written about) and went out to meet a Portuguese friend (he's practically Venezuelan- he's lived here since 1986!) at his farm in San Francisco de Asis, outside of Maracay. I loved the feeling of being out in the country, away from the insanity and noise of Caracas. It was refreshing to be around extensive grassy areas and animals.






I'd never been to a chicken farm before, so this was a new experience for me. The cheep-cheep of the newborn chicks was therapeutic, as was getting to play with them a little bit.

This little one only weighed 35 grams because she just hatched the night before. The coloring on her head is from a vaccine that there are given immediately upon arrival. Noé told me that the chicks hatch at night at another farm and are brought to him the next morning, before their first meal. That way, he has total control over what they eat and their health.

Weighing the little one. Here you can see the first feathers that grow on the wings. Because of that, they don't stay for very long in these cages with the doors open.

Once in awhile they get a couple of outcasts...roosters! These little guys somehow made it into the mix of hens and will be separated soon. Obviously, for an egg (and not breeding) farm, it's not advantageous to have a bunch of roosters running around! Noé told me that out of the 42,000(!!) chicks that were delivered to him, only a handful turn out to be roosters, as seen by their distinctive markings.

"Run for it, guys!! Jump out here and save yourselves!!" is what it seems like these chicks are saying. Honestly, I felt bad for them, living their whole lives in cages... :( but found this image hilarious because it looks like they're trying to organize a break-out. :)


Apparently the practice as chicks pays off- this hen (that looks semi-rooster to me) managed to fly the coop!! But not for long... Noé is an expert chicken-catcher.

It took him less than 10 seconds to catch the runaway!

After our afternoon on the farm, we went to this amazing Brazilian "churrasquería," or steakhouse, Pare Stop Centro Turístico. I was way too busy being fascinated by the seemingly endless tables of food and waiters who kept coming by the table to offer us any of many delicious meats and even pineapple roasted with cinnamon and sugar. The latter was my favorite and I went for seconds- there's no better desert! And the battered-fried bananas were out of this world. There were tables of sushi, seafood, jamón serrano, cheeses, veggies and anything else imaginable.

The photo above is of one of our many waiters pouring us a shot of the Spanish liqueur "43". It was quite tasty, but VERY strong. Since it has to be served very cold, the bottle is frozen into a block of ice so that when it is being wheeled around on the drinks cart, it stays cold. By the way, he didn't spill a drop!

The photos on this blog show every different part of the restaurant except the sushi bar(!!) and the women's restroom. He comments that the experience to the steakhouse made him feel like Alice in Wonderland. Kudos to the blogger for a great entry! As you can see, Pare Stop is a must-visit for anyone coming to Caracas.

The Pemón in the Gran Sabana

Venezuela made the "front page" of the New York Times website today, and I found the article to be of particular interest because I was just in this region a few weeks ago. I will be writing an entry about my 9-day trip to Gran Sabana, but as I have probably 600 photos and a lot to say, it is a work in progress.

La Gran Sabana, or the Great Savannah, is a region inhabited mostly by the Pemón indigenous tribes. They live in circular mud brick homes with a type of thatch roof. Having been inside a few of them at the campground we stayed at (run by Pemón families), I can attest to how well they keep out the heat. Even the sun beating down on them (the same sun that made it necessary for us to regularly apply at least 50SPF sunscreen) doesn't make the temperature rise.

Pemón Houses at our Campsite

While we were riding back to Caracas, I saw many small smoke clouds. I was immensely curious as to what they were from. I just assumed that they were burning garbage, as it seems like it would be difficult to have regular garbage collection in some of the more remote areas (*random sidenote* Last weekend I passed by the huge landfill where all of Caracas' garbage goes, just outside of Santa Teresa and Maracay.). At one point we passed by a fire raging along the side of the road in the shrubs. A bit later, I saw signs forbidding fires in the area:"Let's respect the biodiversity." I was confused by all of this because in Caracas, the wildfires seemed to be accidental. I didn't know that in certain regions, the fires were intentionally set.

This article tells the story of the Pemón and how setting these fires is a part of their way of life. Make sure to check out the photo gallery, too. The Gran Sabana is definitely one of the most beautiful and unique places I've ever been. Soon I hope to share the photos and stories here!

Interesting...

The sign in the window says "Not for Sale." Were you thinking of putting in a bid?? ;)

I saw this on the way out of a parking lot and loved it.

Happy Birthday, Venezuela!

Today, April 19th, 2010, was the bicentennial of the writing and approval of the first declaration of independence of Venezuela. However, it wasn't until July 5, 1811 that they were truly independent from Spain. The signing on April 19th was significant in part because it helped political revolutionaries like Simón Bolívar, who is very much revered even today, rise to fame and help Venezuela achieve true freedom from Spain. In fact, the country was even recently renamed "The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" in his honor and the airport now carries his name as well. You can read more about the 19th of April here (it's in English).

Last night at 12:00AM, I awoke to loud booms and bangs and, in my sleepy stupor, was kind of worried. I mean, it's not every day that one awakes to such a racket. Then, on a hunch, I looked at my cell phone and saw "19 abril 2010" and "12:01AM." Then it hit me that it was just a celebration. I ran to look out the window and was able to capture it on my camera.

Then this afternoon, I went to a ceremony that was both commemorating the opening of a new public square/gathering area in the Chacao municipality and honoring the 200th anniversary of the signing of the first declaration of independence. A local orchestra rehearsed a few songs while we waited for the event to begin and a group of local musicians played Venezuelan folk music. The event was delayed as we waited for the guests of honor (the local mayors, political leaders, etc) to arrive. They eventually got there... with a parade!

The mayor of Chacao (on left) and the mayor of Caracas

The mayor of Caracas speaking

Unfortunately, soon after we were forced to run for cover when the heavens opened up on us. After the rains ceased, we returned to socialize a bit. That was when I got to meet a few councilmen, a radio show host and even the mayor of Chacao, Emilio Graterón! He treated me like an old friend and made me feel very welcome in his municipality. In fact, everyone I met was very open and friendly, even though I had never met them before and was obviously not Venezuelan. It was a great feeling.

Me and the mayor of Chacao!

So all in all, it was an exciting day here in Caracas, drama-free and positive. Cheers, Venezuela!