Stay Days and Go Days

Today was a stay day. I have go days and stay days. They generally average themselves out by the end of each week. Maybe my students were awful or the government made another stupid decree or the grocery shelves were bare- that would be a go day. But the next day there would be milk, I would have a lovely walk in my neighborhood park and I would go see a movie for less than $1, thus making it a stay day. When I have a few go days in a row and I figure that the balance is about to tip on the go side, then I'll have three great stay days in a row. I just can't seem to make up my mind. Do I stay in Venezuela or do I go?

We have to decide if we will stay for a third year in October. I know that's still a few months out but I have, in consistent Tracey fashion, already started worrying about it. My list of pros and cons could go on forever, spliced of course by the ever nagging question of if I do go, where DO I go? When that question comes up, the panic sets in and I quickly try to think about anything else- polar bears on ice skates, how delicious a peanut and jelly sandwich is, how much I still hate my hair cut. Anything but dealing with that question that brings with it a speed train of overwhelming uncertainty. 

Thus, I focus on the positive and inevitably try my best to have stay days. This weekend was totally a stay weekend. We actually had May 1st off for labor day (which is apparently labor day in most of the world, except the US), so we almost had a three day weekend. On May 1st, Ivan and I had a glorious day off together. We made a big breakfast and then went to visit a small but very special zoo. At Expanzoo, the zoo visitors are able to buy a small bag of carrots and basically fed any animal they come across, many of which are allowed to freely roam around the grounds. Armed with five bags of carrots, Ivan and I set off and quickly discovered that Ivan is SUCH A SUCKER for adorable animals! He fed almost his entire first bag of carrots to a baby donkey (of all things!) So I made an executive decision and became the keeper of the carrot bags. We visited swarms of adorable baby pigs, a zebra, a slew of llamas and alpacas,horses, goats, bunnies, and peacocks. We also saw a large group of flamingos and a few cute monkeys! For a while I tried to wrest some bunnies from under bushes unsuccessfully, much to the horror of the mothers who were trying to prevent their four-year-olds from doing the same thing, at which point Ivan felt it was time we left. Then we saw Spiderman 2, during which I failed to suspend disbelief and deemed it a waste of two hours. Ivan vehemently disagreed and to solve the argument, we decided to head home to lay in the hammock and take a nap. That tends to resolve all problems quickly.

On Friday night, I went with a bunch of co-workers to the other American international school where they were hosting a trivia night. It was really fun to meet some new people and our table actually came in 2nd! It was some HARD trivia. Very intellectual- like, match the art with the movement intellectual. I was positively worthless, besides knowing which island in the Caribbean was Puerto Rico and where Rihanna is from (Barbados). But we had a great time and ended up hanging out at our new friend Robin's apartment near the school until 1 in the morning, which is very late for me these days. Saturday I nursed a hangover that could only come from mixing gin and red wine (I know better! What was I thinking!). Around 3pm, I forced myself to be human again and attend a fashion party at Elsy and Mike's apartment, where us girls went to town on some clothes, jewelry and handbags from some great Venezuelan designers. I also accidentally tried on a jumper thinking it was a skirt...and actually LIKED it. I'm not ready to purchase a jumper yet. I'm just not there yet. But trying one on (even by accident) was a step, for sure. Saturday night, Ivan and I went out with some of his friends to a free Cuatro concert. A Cuatro is a small, four-stringed guitar that Venezuelan's can play MASTERFULLY. It's amazing how much sound can come from such a simple, little instrument! After the concert, we hung out at his friend Gabo's new apartment. His friends are so nice to me and feel really bad that I can't follow their conversation AT ALL. When I am talking to someone in Spanish, I can usually keep up, but when there are a group of people talking and the subject keeps changing, I just get so lost. So I usually just sit around with a smile plastered on my face catching what I can from body language and the few words I can pick up. But Ivan's friends are great about trying to include me and making sure I am NEVER without a full beer. God forbid. I told Ivan that I don't think they actually deep conversations. As best I can tell, all I hear them say is "chamo", "dale" and "conyo". which in Venezuelan Spanish basically means "bro", "go on" and "shit", respectively. 

Sunday, Ivan, his friend Jesus and I went out to the Cote de Mil, a highway that runs right along the Avila that the city shuts down on Sunday morning so people can run and bike. We took Jesus's three bikes and had a lovely ride. Ivan and I had a pretty awesome blow-out over me getting a cocada and Ivan not letting me because they were about to reopen the highway. I didn't give a crap about on-coming traffic- I just wanted coconutty deliciousness! Our tiff was quickly overcome when we decided to get Chinese food, thus distracting my food craving elsewhere and pacifying me with thoughts of lo mein. We enjoyed the Chinese gloriousness on my balcony, and after we ate all fell into an immediate food coma that took three hours to overcome. That, my friends, is how you do a Sunday afternoon. Definitely a stay day. But a new week is coming, so we will see what kind of day Monday brings!