Moving to a place that the State Department thinks is going to implode at any moment can give one a false sense of invincibility. I am suffering the repercussions of this falsehood as we speak, having come down with some sort of cold/flu/stomach virus combination that, while it has not been so bad that I can't make it to work, has required that I sleep for the remaining 16 hours in the day. But- I will look on the bright side. I now feel comfortable navigating a Caracas pharmacy and buying Gatorade in bulk, so all is not lost.
And really, since I am not missing work and not necessarily dying (thanks to packing enough Imodium to prevent the runs for the rest of my life), it is kind of worth it considering all the life I've lived since I have arrived here. This weekend, for example, was awesome. Holly, Jason, Walli, Gordon and I met up with our Venezuelan friends Angelica and Ivan to hike "El Aliva" on Saturday. El Avila is the rather daunting mountain that looms protectively over all of Caracas. No matter where you are in the city, you can always see it. It runs the length of the city and beyond, separating Caraquenians from the ocean, and likely providing us with a lot of the wonderful, temperate weather we enjoy. El Avila also provides Caraquenians with a source of natural, free exercise, as it seems the entire population of the city descends upon the mountain every Saturday and Sunday for a hike. Please, gentle readers, do not assume that this is a gentle hike up a gentle peak. This is a straight up rock scramble that requires the utmost vigilance One does not stop to enjoy the view for fear of a misstep that could land them in a Caracas hospital, which, let's be serious, nobody wants that. But at the top, the view is magnificent and well deserved after such a strenuous hike. And then, to reward our treacherous descent, we drank these delicious coconut smoothies at the base of the peak- SO DELICIOUS. My friends who had done the hike before said the "grande" of the coconut drink was too much- advice which I obviously ignored since I figured they did not know me well enough to be accustomed to how much I eat-but low and behold, it was too big for me to finish!
After our hike, we missed the rain by mere minutes and enjoyed Arepas and Cachapas at a nearby restaurant. These are Venezuelan specialties that basically involve wrapping meat and cheese in delicious doughy goodness. I really cannot get enough of the food here. Right now, my stomach would likely claim a different opinion, but as soon as it stops protesting, I will be back at it with a vengeance for sure.
In other news, I am happy to report that on Saturday night I invited people over to enjoy tasty beverages and, to my great glee, Cards Against Humanity! My friends here LOVED it. I even had a few people over who were not necessarily English speakers- and one of them won! It was great, and only a few cards got thrown out for being too "American" for people to understand Gordon, in all his Scottish glory, probably knew what less of the cards meant than the native Spanish speakers! On Monday, I was surprised at the candidness of some of my co-workers are they explained the game to those who weren't able to come on Saturday. Since my Mom reads this blog, I won't repeat the cards that were being talked about, but safely assume that the language used at Venezuelan school lunch tables is more open than what I am used to in the US!
As hump day is almost over and I lament my wimpyness, at least I can reflect on the fabulous weekend I had, and really, the fabulous time I have had here so far. Hopefully I'll shake this ilk in time for another fun weekend!
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