El Primer Día en Mérida

We woke up early yesterday morning for an orientation at 9AM. Cointa had made us each two sandwiches for breakfast composed of ham, mozzarella, tomatoes, and plenty of onions, as well as Papelón con Limón, a pretty tasty, traditional Venezuelan juice. Since sugar is not imported into Venezuela, Papelón is usually substituted. Like sugar, it comes from a cane plant, but is typically purchased as a molasses-colored liquid. At the orientation we learned the details of life in Mérida, including the academics, the homestay, and quite a few anecdotes of students who have gotten themselves in trouble. Lunch at Venusa was a zucchini soup, chicken, and potatoes. Venezuelan food so far has been phenomenal; it has a very characteristic smell and taste, which I think comes mostly from the onions that are included in most meals. After lunch the whole group took a walk to the park across the street. Everyone has been vibing really well so far; we seem to be on the same wavelength, although Spanish fluency varies quite a bit. A note about streets in Mérida- there is really no speed limit and red lights tend to be optional except during busy times. One needs to be extremely careful when crossing streets since motorcycles weave in and out of traffic and can come out of nowhere. We use the Tromerca (Trolley) to get to Venusa, which is essentially a long bus that runs on wheels and is powered by electricity.  It drives down a lane separated from normal traffic, is always packed, and has been free so far, although I don’t quite understand why. I suppose it is the oil dollars hard at work. After these times, we use busetas and taxis (a ride from Venusa to our place on El Calle Canónigo Uzcátegui costs about 40 Bolívares, which at our exchange rate comes out to about three dollars). The official exchange rate is 4.3 Bs. per dollar, although the parallel rate right now is about 15 Bs. to the dollar. This parallel rate arises because Chavez has restricted the amount of American dollars Venezuelans can have to about $500, so most people will pay more for American money. We are forbidden from exchanging at Venusa since the government will solder the door shut if they find out the organization is helping us break the law.Yesterday afternoon, we went on a tour of downtown Mérida, which is across the river from us. Mérida is a very long city nestled in a valley carved out by the Chama river, the most dangerous part of the city where most of the thugs hang out. According to the statistics, however, the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus has a higher crime rate than Mérida. There has been one rape and no stabbings since they have been recording crime statistics. If you are held up, they will take your money and leave you alone. We live in the south part of the city, known as La Parroquia, downtown is in the north, and Venusa is in between. There are two main drags in the city, La Avenida Urdaneta and La Avenida de las Americas, which are on either sides of the river. We visited El Catedral de Mérida as well as La Universidad de los Andes, the second largest university in Venezuela. About every five feet downtown there is a statue of Simon Bolívar, who, if you haven’t already figured it out, is the hero of Venezuela and especially this town. Downtown pictures will have to wait; I forgot my SD card during the tour. It was a pretty cloudy day anyway, and I will undoubtedly be back there within the next few days. We finished the tour at a bar known as El Hoyo del Queque, which sells the usual beers (8 Bs. or about $.50), as well as a drink known as a Bomba (bomb). It costs around 60 Bs. and is a mixture of beer, tequila, vodka, and juice served in a bucket. Following the tour, we went home for a dinner of chicken, rice, and a creamy soup with broccoli and mushrooms, after which we gave Cointa our gifts and had a nice long conversation since we had been so rushed the night before. She is a wonderful Catholic woman, very Anti-Chavista, who worked as a purchaser for the municipal government until a change in leadership, and then at a school. Venezuelan Nativity scenes, which by American standards are pretty gaudy/kitschy with their flashing lights, are maintained well into January. Last night, Hector’s friend Bruce took us back to the Hoyo del Queque, which is full of lively salsa dancing at night. Hector has a small crew of locals who don’t technically work for Venusa, but are essentially in charge of introducing us to the city and organizing some recreation and trips outside of the city. Bruce has been driving us around in his bus and showed us some of his moves last night. His other friend Toto will be showing us some mountain paths this weekend, which could not be any sooner, as having the mountains nearby has me itching to climb them. At the bar, we shared a bomba and a cerveza or two, danced for a couple hours, and then headed home fairly early since we have class this morning at 10AM. So far I've been noticing many of the similarities between Venezuelans and Americans; we're pretty much people doing the same thing in different places. Above is the view from my bedroom window, as well as the shower.