I have been meaning to blog sooner, but with limited internet access and so much going on, it has been difficult. Since arriving on Monday, I have felt like I've been on a roller-coaster, both physically and emotionally. I am still catching up from 36 hours of travel between last Sunday and Monday. I arrived in Mérida on Monday afternoon after 3 flights, 14 collective hours of layovers, and a 1.5 hour bus ride. After being dropped off at Venusa, the school where I will be studying, Maen, my host mom picked up me and my two other roommates, Ashley and Stephanie. Both only have basic Spanish skills, so I was really responsible for communicating and translating. A task that proved difficult for my sleep deprived body and mind.
The apartment I will be living in is a modest 2 bedroom apartment. I share a room with Ashley, while Stephanie has her own room. The family lives across the hall in another apartment, but is in and out of our side very frequently. We are located fairly close the the school--only a 20 minute walk. I'm glad I don't have to take a bus from downtown, but the equatorial sun, humidity, car exhaust, and insane traffic can make my journey to school a chore. In fact, I'm surprised I haven't been hit by a car. Nevertheless, there are always interesting sights along the way.
My host family has been very kind and helpful. Maen and my host dad Álvaro have three kids: Álvaro, 16, José, 21, and Carolina, 25. Álvaro Jr. is a talented violinist. José is a student at ULA (Universidad de Los Andes) studying engineering. Carolina is married and works in industrial design. Álvaro lives with his parents across the hall, and José and Carolina live elsewhere but are very frequently around the apartment. Even though they are all super nice, I still feel a little uncomfortable around the house, like I'm in the way or doing something wrong. I really enjoy hanging out with José and his friend César, though. They are hilarious. Even though I don't understand everything they are saying, I still enjoy spending time with them listening to música latina and discussing cultural differences.
The city is very charming, but chaotic at the same time. It seems to be an organized chaos though. The traffic here is a prime example. There are hardly any traffic lights and drivers just seem to do what they want, yet somehow people get where they're going. They also don't wear seat-belts, which seems to be rather incongruous with their driving style. I have also learned that you want to avoid having a heart attack at rush hour in Mérida, since I have witnessed several ambulances idling for at least 15 minutes in a traffic jam while cars seem to think that honking their horns will solve the problem.
The food here is variable. For the first few days, I wasn't impressed at all. Venezuelan dishes are usually carb and starch heavy, without many vegetables. Many dishes seem to be distorted versions of American food. Arepas, a kind of heavy South American english muffin, are a traditional Venezuelan food and very popular here. I'm not a big fan though. I did, however, have excellent meals the last two days. One was at a hole in the wall vegetarian restaurant in el centro where I had juice, vegetable soup, beans, a type of potato casserole, and a vegetable stir-fry for $2. The other meal was today at a hotel restaurant downtown in the Plaza Bolivar. After a seemingly fruitless journey for something edible, Kamela, another student, and I stumbled upon this gem. After a somewhat confusing interaction with the receptionist as to whether the restaurant was open or not (it was not), she opened the dining room for us. Our meal consisted of thick, syrupy mango juice (yum!) and a huge plate of frijoles negros (black beans), some type of South American cheese, carnitas, rice, a fried egg, and fried plantains all for 2,500 b.f., or $5!!! Everything is super cheap here. This is due to the black market exchange rate being more than twice that of the official exchange rate.
After this first week I have realized that South America has required me to adjust my lifestyle quite a bit--a task that has been complicated by lack of sleep, parasites, and a head cold. As difficult as it is, though, I am really enjoying this experience in such a different culture and geography, and am excited to see what happens in the next five weeks.
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