Feeling Like a Kid Again

I never thought I would actually enjoy it. In fact, I thought it would disrupt my sleep and make me feel claustrophobic. That couldn't be further from the truth! In fact, I'll admit it- I love my mosquito net.

Right after I returned from a trip to Peru and Ecuador, I found myself about to be homeless, and frantically searched for a place to stay. Fortunately, my Rotary contacts came through for me, and I moved in with my good friends Pedro and Gina, who have a beautiful house and lush gardens and trees around it. I was a little bit nervous about the mosquitoes and other bugs that live in the gardens, as they tend to feast upon my foreign blood (it must be like filet mignon to them) and make me itchy for weeks.

Luckily, they have lived here for years and are well-prepared. I was instructed in the proper use of the mosquito net for my bed (make sure it covers the whole bed and doesn't rest on me, because they will bite me through the netting, check and make sure there aren't any bugs already in it before I go to sleep, and don't open it a lot if I get up to go to the bathroom) and tried it out. I slept like a baby the first night and felt this sort of power surge- the mosquitoes couldn't get to me! I fought the mosquitoes, and won, at least at night. This may not seem like a lot to other people, but it was a huge relief to be able to laze around under my mosquitero without a care in the world. Plus, it kind of felt like when I was a kid and constructed forts in the living room with chairs, sheets and cardboard boxes, something I haven't felt in a long, long time.

My "big kid" fort

The Calm During the Storm

Caracas has been more tranquil since I last wrote, which is a relief. When the rains started back in April, life calmed down again. Throughout the year, I've noticed that the city goes through a fairly rapid ebb and flow depending on different factors like the weather, politics, etc. It surprised me that I was able to perceive these changes so easily because normally one does not notice them when living in the midst of them. For example, a friend is much less likely to realize you just got a haircut if he or she sees you every day than if she hasn't seen you in six months.

Now that I've piqued your interest, what exactly am I talking about?

One change was obviously the rain because it was drastic- after a drought so severe it caused long-lasting wildfires and drastic energy cutting measures, the rains started to fall every day. Whereas before I wouldn't even need to worry about taking a jacket, now I had to make sure to pack an umbrella in my bag every time I stepped out of the house. I feel like my year here is coming full-circle because I arrived in the rainy season.




Caracas is returning to its lush, green self, which puts me in a more positive mood. I remember that through January, February and March I would look out the window at my university and wonder if the brown and yellow trees would ever recuperate. It's amazing what a little water can do for everyone and everything.

Tying up Loose Ends

It has been almost a year since I touched down onto Venezuelan soil for the first time. This place has made me grow, learn, experience and create in a way that I never had before. I haven't written very much in the last few months because just living in Caracas was enough to keep me occupied, both mentally and physically, especially in the last weeks of my second semester at the UCV.

Over the next few weeks I hope to do a little "catching up" and reflect on some of the different parts of my experience here that I haven't written about. I had to move for the second time and am now living with some amazing Rotarians who have been there for me the whole year, and even more so recently when I had nowhere to go. So for the few weeks I have left here in this unique country, I will be writing more in an attempt to tie up some loose ends and see if I can understand a bit more of this "mundo al revés," as some call it.

For now, I leave you with this picture, taking on a scuba-diving outing off of Margarita Island. If you can't tell, I'm the one in the middle. :)