Newsgroups: bit.listserv.xcult-l
Date:         Wed, 27 Jan 1993 15:04:46 EST
From:         Kerry Reese <U350000@UNIVSCVM.BITNET>
Subject:      Venezuelan trip

Hi Dave,
I'm sorry I took so long to respond. It's the first week of classes and
things have been kind of hectic. You asked me what else I liked about
the trip. In brief, I liked the latino culture, because, in my opinion
(please, don't anyone get angry at me for only having an opinion; we
all fight too much I think), is more sensitive and expressive than the
US culture that I have been a part of in my own life's experience. There
is more emphasis on the family and friendship. People aren't afraid to
show their emotions as much, and they hug and kiss each other for
greeting.
  The city I was in is called Maracaibo; the culture and accent there is
very distinct and they are proud of it. It's a very noisy and happy city.
People from the capital, Caracas, sometimes say that they are crazy. It
is dirty in the downtown area and crowded, but I think the personality
and charm of the city makes one forget it. On New Year's Eve, they spend
time with their family and close friends. At midnight, they all stand in
a circle holding hands, while they wait for the New Year to come in. When
the New Year arrives, they hug and kiss each other. Then, one's neighbors
come in the house and you hug and kiss them too (a very strange but
beautiful experience for a US-American). Then, they eat twelve grapes,
because they symbolize the twelve months and twelve wishes. It scared me
a little, because some people cry when the New Year comes.
   In the Andes, the people are more traditional. There are a lot of
farming communities there and the purest, cleanest water and environment
that could exist(I didn't know it still existed). The people there
burn a doll, like a scarecrow, that represents the old year. We were
returning from the mountains on the 31st and several little mountain
children stopped our car with a string tied across the road collecting
coins to 'help burn the old year'. They have beautiful little faces.
Because of the high altitude, their cheeks are burned red and their
bodies are very little. The thing I didn't like is that there were
very few guard rails on the sides of the roads. We visited the "Pico
Bolivar", which at 12,500 feet, is the highest paved road in all of
South America (we were above the clouds) and there were no guard-
rails!!! Instead, there are little crosses and religious statues that
mark all the places where people have crashed their cars and died.
   In conclusion, I really loved Venezuela. There were some things
I didn't like, for example, the way that some of their bureacracies
work, but it is a beautiful country and I would encourage anybody
who had the chance and can speak a little Spanish to go.
    I apologize for my lack of proper paragraphs; I'm lazy at times.
    To the guy (I forget your name; sorry!) who is new at e-mail and
   apologized to "wasting our time or taking our time", please don't
   apologize. We want to hear what you would like to say.
 Are there any VENEZUELANS, or LATINOS who would like to comment,
disagree, et cetera? Hablo espa#ol si no quiere hablar en ingles.
Would anybody in general like to comment, ask, disagree, relate their
own experience (any culture)? Peace- Kerry
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