Things I will miss about Venezuela:
1. I'm sure from earlier posts (and I definitely mean post(s) plurally) about platanos, that no one doubted they would be top on my list!
2. The Christian bookstore across the plaza from my apartment that has wonderfully cheap and small pocket versions of many, many great books. For example, this week I bought a copy of More Than A Carpenter (Más que un carpentero) for approximately $3.50. Living so close and the great prices definitely haven't helped the luggage situation though!
3. Warm weather! I have now officially lived outside of the North West and its cold rainy winters long enough that thinking about the onset of winter this year makes me want to cry! I know I'll survive, but I will make it known now, I don't like being cold!
4. Platano! I know I mentioned this earlier, but in order to truly get across how strongly I feel about the subject I feel that I must mentioned it again. Tajadas, patacones, tostones, san cochado, horneado, con canela... Really anyway you can come up with to cook it, I will eat it!
5. Nestea, Cachapas (sweet cornmeal pancakes that are served with cheese), Arepas
6. My church. I really love the church that I have been attending this year, Emmanuel Baptist. I love the worship music and I love the pastor and his teachings. I love that it isn't like being in an American church in Venezuela, but that it truly is Venezuelan while at the same time familiar.
Things I am eager to see/use/eat/experience being back in the US for a bit:
1. Hot water! I am especially excited about hot showers. I hereby apologize to Mother Nature right now, because I know I will very likely over-enjoy my first few hot showers. Thankfully it is warm in Caracas, but the water can still be pretty cold sometimes. I've definitely taken my share of teapot-to-bucket baths!
2. Coffee! I know there must be good coffee in Venezuela. I know they produce it. I think you have to go to expensive specialty stores though. Either that or they export it all. The coffee that you can buy in the grocery store is definitely lacking in taste... So I am dying for good coffee! I also miss the coffee shop atmosphere that is so important in the NW. I want to take my book somewhere and not get asked every five minutes if I want another juice or if I am ready for the bill.
3. While living close to the equator has its ups in terms of warmer weather all year round (see number 3, things I will miss), it definitely has its down side in that it gets dark every night of the year between 6:00 and 6:30 pm. I am eager to go for evening walks, actually to do anything that can be done outside in the evening!
4. Funny as this sounds, I'm looking forward to being noticed as tan and darker, more mediterranean looking than many in Washington. All of my life people have always commented on that, or asked me where my family is from based on my more olive skin and crazy curly hair. In Venezuela, I am white and gringa, punto. According to one of my roommates, I am the whitest person she's ever seen! Obviously she's not met many gringos before, because I can definitely mention a few that are way whiter than I am! Let's also not mention the fact that unless she's just been to the beach, my skin is actually darker than hers. She just happens to have the dark hair and dark eyes that somehow make her less white than me.
5. Somehow this point still works even though it kind of contradicts the previous one. I'm looking forward to not standing out for a while. While I don't necessarily stand out as much as I supposed I could, my blue eyes are still constantly noticed and constantly commented on. I really am perfectly content to not be reminded that my eyes are blue every time I pass some guy on the street... I am very aware of that fact!
I know I have more to add to this list, but for the time being these are the things that come to my mind. Enjoy!
1 comment:
regarding you rcoment about the blue eyes, I get the same thing all the time here in Uruguay---even though a lot of the population here is pretty fairskinned/european. And yes, it is incredibly irritating. Reading this entry made me wonder what i'm going to miss when i go back to the states. (I'm already looking forword to spicy mexican food--as strange as that sounds--because in Uruguay spicy food pretty much doesn't exist). I wish you a safe journey home :).
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