Peru Surfing Adventure.

Ready for the waves.

 The day dawned early on the day of our peruvian ruins and surf adventure.  Our guide Jorge with Eco-Innovations tours picked us up at our hotel in the "surf adventure" van and drove us south.  After about an hour, we turned off at Pachacamac to visit the ruins there.   We toured the ruins with a guide for about 2 hours and learned all about the religious center that was located there hundreds of years ago.

Madeline Surfs!

Go Katherine!

The Incan people would send the most beautiful and brightest daughters to live there where they were guarded by eunuchs and taught to embroider and make the special ceremonial drink.  When they turned 16, one or two were chosen to sacrifice to the God of the Sun - and the others were married off to the Incan governors and priests as concubines.  The temple was very high and painted bright red and overlooked the sea.  The indigenous people would make pilgrimages there — often at the end of their lives and usually died there so they could be buried close to the temples.  They approximate that there are tens of thousands of mummies buried on the property.

After touring the ruins, we headed out to a small town south of Lima.  Our guide took us to a small public beach for surfing.  The water was very busy with sunbathers, swimmers and surfers.  And to us Galvestonians - the water was COLD.  Even in a wetsuit, Madeline came out with her lips blue and her teeth chattering.  It was nice to get out of Lima and see some more of the country and get to a place surrounded by locals.  Ladies walked around the beaches selling chips, sodas and beer (no glass of course) and we ate sandwiches packed by the tour.  Chris and the girls had a ball surfing and we loved our guide.  We went home, happy and exhausted and ready for another day!

Christmas Vacation 2010 - Lima Peru

We have arrived safely in Lima, Peru.  The trip here was an adventure in itself.  We left home at 10:30 in the morning for a 7:20 pm flight.  We went to the office to pick up Daddy, then headed out for the airport.  One of our friends the week before had left 4 hours before her flight and never made it due to traffic and work being done on the road due to the landslides.  We did not want to take a chance, as if we missed our flights, we would likely not be able to find another flight out of Caracas until after Christmas.

The traffic was heavier than usual, and you could see multiple landslides along the way - complete with multiple homes destroyed from the landslides, but we made it to the airport in 2.5 hours.  With that much time to kill, we decided to head out to the Marriott close to the airport for lunch.  It killed a couple of hours, and the kids got to play on the playground there and burn up some energy.  We arrived ready to check in at 2 pm - an hour before what the US embassy recommended, and they would not let us check in until 3 pm.  It only took an hour to check in, clear security and clear customs, so at 4 pm we were checking into the American Airlines lounge looking for four chairs together.

We got settled, then Chris and Madeline left for what is becoming a Haver Family Tradition - airport massages.  There is a kiosk, with a wonderful woman, who gives 10 and 15 minute chair massages for a very reasonable prices.  It is so inexpensive, we let the kids get them as well.  We all took turns, then went back to the lounge.  When we booked the tickets to Buenos Aires - we had to transfer through Lima as there is no direct flight from Caracas - so I decided we should stay and explore Lima for a few days.  The tickets were written in spanish - and were in first class - though I missed that part when we booked them.  When I was reviewing the tickets a few weeks ago I realized that our seats were in row 3!  A happy accident for us.

We boarded and realized the first class section was on of the ones that was REALLY first class.  The asiles were huge, and the seats were the ones that go from sitting to a full flat bed.  Each chair had its own entertainment system, complete with Bose type headphones.  The seats alone provided hours of entertainment for my children.  They were served a real meal, with cloth napkins and silverwear and drinks in glasses.  Of course, my worldly children acted like they were in DisneyLand - screaming, "Mom, check THIS out!" over and over again across the plane.

Five and a half hours later, we landed in Peru in the middle of the night.  We cleared customs and emigration and were met by the hotel to take us to our home for the next few days.  We crawled into our beds and fell asleep at about 2 am.

The next day we woke up to a view of the Pacific Ocean - just in front of our hotel, over looking the ocean, is a beautiful outdoor mall and park - so we decided to head there for breakfast.  After breakfast we took a long walk along the cliffs and parks that overlook the rocky beaches and plotted out our day.   We went back to the mall to eat a sushi restaurant and had some of the best ceviche we have ever had in my life.   The seafood here is amazing!  I also had my first pisco sour.  The pisco sour is the local drink here - kind of like a margarita and about 100x as strong.  We went shopping and bought a few scarves and a hat for Madeline made out of baby alpaca - one of the local handicrafts here.

Dinner last night was at Cala - a beautiful restaurant on the beach, specializing in seafood.  The prices here are half of what we would expect to pay in San Francisco for the same food and level of service.   Everyone here - from the maids, to the waiters, to the taxi drivers are some of the most polite, and genuinely happy people we have ever met.  We have become so used to people treating us like we had intelligence issues because or command of spanish was lacking, but here they smile, and remain very patient trying to help us along.  Of course, nothing is pefect, my meal was not what I thought I was ordering last night, but was delicious none the less.

Today we head out for surfing lessons for Chris and the kids at a beach south of Lima - we will let you know how it goes.

Rain Rain Go Away....

Caracas has made CNN.  Again.  Not for the crazy president, but for the torrential rains that have drenched the area.  Yesterday, the government declared a state of emergency and closed the schools for the rest of the week in anticipation of more rainfall, and the ensuing flooding and landslides.  Here is a picture of the sky this morning from my bedroom.  You can't see the Avila - as the clouds are obscuring the view.

We are OK.  We live up on a hill so flooding is not an issue.  We already have landslides around the building on the property and in the surrounding areas - but nothing major.  My neighbor might have to leave her building due to a very large landslide that may have affected the structural integrity of the building.

The weirdest part is the waiting...  It is almost like when a hurricane hits the Gulf of Mexico, and we wait to see which way it will go.  We know it will hit somewhere, and it will be bad, and it might be us, but probably not.

But here, I am not surrounded by my best friends, making gumbo, and telling stories.  AND we don't have weather.com or wunderground.com - where during hurricane season, I am freakishly glued for days at a time.  So I sit and stare and the fat grey clouds outside of my window, waiting for the rain to start, and for whatever will happen, to just happen.

The rest of the photos are a series of pictures taken from the property  around my building.  We have one minor and one moderate slide so far.  The area above the driveway had a slide last year which was repaired, and now the area just lateral to the repair has failed.

I will keep everyone posted.  But again, we are fine!

Halloween and Other News

 So, I am sitting here in Caracas.  Today is Halloween.  We had a big Chevron Halloween party last night for the kids, and Chris left for California for a meeting today for 10 days.

The kids had a wonderful time on Friday at school.  They got to come to school dressed in their Halloween costumes and then had a parade around the auditorium, followed by parties in their classrooms.

As I am a room mom for both classes, I spent the next couple of hours running back and forth between classrooms helping with snacks, games, decorations, etc.  It was a little bit exhausting, but fun.  

Above is Madeline's first grade class - and denotes one of the things I will miss most about the international experience - DIVERSITY.  In Madeline's picture are Madeline (USA), Jae Yeon (Korea), Jose (Venezuela), Juan David (Venezuela), Arif (Indonesia), Gaby (Columbia), Amelia (Poland), Sofie (Venezuela), Marta (Spain), Josef (Venezuela) and Andres (Norway).    Katherine's class is just as diverse, but I was not able to get a picture of her class all together.

After the party, I rushed down to the pool for my swimming session with my coach.  There is a small group of Mom's - at all levels, that work out with the swim coaches at the kid's school.  Of course, I grew up swimming, but never really learned the proper strokes until I moved here.  Pedro is my coach and I just love him.  He also coached Madeline last year, and he is her absolute favorite.  He has agreed to "train" me for the Galveston Lone Star Triathlon 2011 - and my goal is simply to beat my best time (not hard to do).

On Saturday evening, we headed to the Kelly's apartment for a Chevron Halloween Party.  Rhonda really outdid herself.  The decorations were fantastic and the food incredible.  The kids really had fun.  Our favorite was the "mummy making contest".  The kids had to wrap a "volunteer" in toilet paper to make the best mummy they could and it ended up being so much fun.

Chris volunteered and I think the kids did a pretty good job.  The finished product of all of the dads is below.

Today I am on back rest for some low back musculoskeletal injury that has gotten much worse over the last two weeks - I finally had to break down and consult one of my old orthopedic text books to see what the heck was wrong with me and how to treat it.  Shockingly, it seems that resting for two days then running 6 miles or the like was not the best therapy.  I am now on back rest for at least a week.

AND I am FINALLY feeling better from the mononucleosis.  That was horrible and I would not wish it on anyone.  Although, I did lose 10 pounds without trying.  I am on oral corticosteroids for the back inflammation (and boy did it go a long way to help me regain my appetite!).  Quarantine from aerobic exercise and my kids Halloween candy should go a long way to helping me regain some of the weight.

My next big adventure is going back to New Orleans in 10 days for my best friend's (from childhood) wedding.  I'll keep you posted.

Fall Break 2010

In lieu of time off for Thanksgiving, our kids get a Fall Break in October for one week.  Last year we went to Curacao, but this year we decided to go home to Louisiana and Galveston as we are not going to the States for Christmas or Spring Break this year.

Fortunately, my best friend Stephanie decided to celebrate her 40th birthday in New Orleans the weekend we arrived.  When we touched down in Houston on Friday, Chris took the girls on to rent a car to drive to Galveston, and I boarded a plane to New Orleans.  

New Orleans was a blast, and a bit of a blur.  Stephanie rented us beautiful rooms at the Royal Sonesta on Bourbon Street.  We even had a balcony to watch all of the activities below.  I laughed until my sides hurt, danced until my feet hurt (my shoe choice, although stylish, was not conducive to a long night on Bourbon Street), and had a fabulous time.  I got smart the second night and packed a pair of flip flops in my purse to change into when my feet started hurting and I just didn't care about fashion anymore.  Highly recommended.  

Here is Heidi, me, Steph, Pamela, Emily and Margaret on Friday night.  I think the guy behind us is the bellman from our hotel.  Gracias to the photographer.  

 On Sunday, we headed to Mandeville and Madisonville to see my cousin, Marla and some old friends from medical school.  Marla is as funny and gorgeous as ever.  Here we are at a lake front restaurant in Mandeville, having, what accidentally turned out to be a 5 hour lunch/pub crawl.  Got to love family dinners and it was worth every minute to see her and my aunt and uncle.

After lunch, we spent the night in Madsionville with Jherie (my roommate from medical school) and her husband Charlie and their beautiful kids Trent, Kate and Lauren.  She asked me what I wanted to eat for dinner before we arrived and I told her good seafood is hard to find in Caracas.  She made the MOST fabulous gumbo with lump crab, shrimp and crab claws AND had seared tuna steaks and scallops on the side.

Uncle Jude and Aunt Jamie came in from New Orleans for a visit and Uncle Jeremiah was able to bring cousin Juliana over for a day to play with the girls.  On our last night in Louisiana, I was able to drag myself out of bed to take the girls to Randol's, their favorite cajun restaurant.  Aunt Leah and most of the uncles were able to make it and we had a wonderful dinner.  The girls love it so much because they play cajun music and dance.   

I captured a short video of the girls dancing together - but as cute as they are, they did not steal the show.  You have to watch the video to understand what I am talking about.  Some people really know how to have fun. The next two days we spent in Galveston, running errands and visiting our loved ones there. 

On Saturday night, we returned to Caracas. 

We have a couple of months of routine, and then we head out to Peru and Argentina for three weeks over the winter break.  Expect a blog with video and all of the usual trimmings.  

We plan to visit Lima for three days then head to Buenos Aires to meet up with Chris' sister and her family there for Christmas Day.  On December 26th we leave for Bariloche - a resort high in the Patagoinian Andes.  After exploring the lakes around Bariloche, we will head to the Glaciers National Park to see Mount Fitzroy and the surrounding glaciers and finally we will head to Tierra Del Fuego and Ushuaia - at the end of the world.  

Good Things About Venezuela.....

We are back.

I did not leave claw marks on the tarmac in Houston.  I was actually glad to go back.  Don't get me wrong, I had a fantastic summer working, visiting friends, and soaking up some Galveston time, but when it was time to go back - I was ready.

You could say I missed my rock star apartment, the near perfect daily spring like weather, the gorgeous mountain view from every window in my home, the kids swanky private school — and you would only be partially correct.

You see, I really, really missed Julia, my maid.

After a summer of single motherhood, while I was bringing in the bacon, driving it home, cooking it, serving it AND cleaning up after it was done made me acutely realize how lucky I am here in Caracas.  I know that most women in America do what I did every day and call it life, and it is very humbling to me.  When I was working, my 100 + hour weeks qualified me for a live-in housekeeper/baby sitter — so I never really did it all before.

I asked Chris to have Julia there when we arrived in Caracas to help us unpack and get settled as the kids were starting school in a couple of days after our arrival.  I missed Julia so much that I had visions of me running in slow motion, to the tune of "Chariots of Fire," towards her, only to crumple, sobbing, at her feet in sheer gratitude.

Well, there was a miscommunication, and she was not there when we arrived.  I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and started unpacking our 9 suitcases.  Julia called and apologized for the misunderstanding and we told her to come the next day.  A few hours later, my door bell rang, and I absentmindedly went to answer it.

It was Julia - in all of her 5 foot 1 shining glory, there to save me from unpacking hell.  I literally threw my arms around her and showered her with the gifts I had brought her back from the states.  She quickly shooed me away, and changed into her uniform.  Within minutes, she took charge of the unpacking I basically acted as her grateful assistant.

She has eased us back into our routine and I am eternally grateful.  The kids are back at school and loving it.  They have new friends, great teachers, and are looking forward to another wonderful year.

Monday is sheet changing day at our house.  I guess Julia decided changing the sheets is not enough.  She decided to wash the duvet covers and pillow shams as well.  Our pillows suffer from years of my Mediterranean blooded husband sleeping on them and his, well essence, being left on them nightly.  The pillows (inside the cases) were stained a splotchy brownish color.  They were cleanish, just stained from years of use.

I figured when I got fed up enough, I would bring in some new ones from the states.

It seems, however, that Julia had other ideas.

She opened the seams of the pillows and removed the stuffing so she could bleach and scour the covers. When I got home from tennis lessons, I watched in shock as she was hand sewing the seams back together after she had dried and restuffed the covers.

I am seriously thinking about putting plastic covers on them now to protect them from future damage!

God I love that woman.

Back in the USA

In a whirlwind of overscheduling, we decided that flying home to Galveston from Venezuela for one day then immediately taking off for Hawaii was a great idea.  We were celebrating Chris' mother's 70th birthday on the Big Island.

It was an 18 hour day of travel to get there and we could only stay a week as Chris had to get back to work. Hawaii was beautiful.  The girls had a great time hiking, seeing the Kilauea volcano and lava flows and hanging out with their cousins and Chris' family.

We flew home, kissed Daddy goodbye, and then the next day left for Disney World.  We went with the Resto's and had a blast. Again, thank you to my cousin Marla for providing all of the arrangements!  It made our trip organized and allowed us to relax and have fun with the kids and not worry about reservations or where we were going and when.

We rode all of the big roller coasters and scary rides (DO NOT MISS DINOSAUR!!!!) and still had time for wonderful dinners and some princess time (Tito

was a huge sport here).

After four wonderful days, we returned home exhausted and happy and ready to just hang out for a while.

I have started working again and it has been great.  I am working with residents again and enjoying it tremendously.

Katherine and I have been busy packing for camp.  I gave her most of the responsibility for packing and just act as her assistant and have been so proud about how organized she has been.  Madeline has been playing non-stop with her Galveston friends and thinks every day is another party!

Chris was able to come home for 4th of July weekend and we were able to celebrate with good friends here in Galveston.  We are looking forward to visiting with my family over the summer as well.  

Is No One Paying Attention ?

Before I go off on my rant, let me give a disclaimer: I can not say that I ever paid much attention to this stuff before I moved to Venezuela. I was a busy working mother with a full social agenda that did not involve long talks about world events or politics, and frankly, I believed the government of the United States was more than capable of protecting me and my family - so why would I care?

Since moving here, I have slowly began to pay more and more attention to the events in the world around me. I have lived in a country where people openly critizied the president - sure, Clinton and Bush II immediately come to mind, but I did not know anyone personally that was calling for their deaths. I mean, we have the luxury of "unelecting" someone after four years if we don't like him enough, or the other guy just looks better.

Now I live in a country where people either want the president dead - or will jump in front of a bullet for him. Kind of weird. I guess now that the people do not have the option of him being seriously "unelected" as he personally controls the legislature, judiciary and military.

I keep asking Chris - how did this happen? He was democratically elected 11 years ago and now he openly says he is going to take all of the banks, private land, private enterprise and turn them over to the government - all in the name of his socialist revolution. I keep wondering why this does not happen in the United States? What makes us so different from them.

I am not writing this because I think that anyone should really care as much as I do about the government in Venezuela - other than they supply 30% of the oil needs of the United States and are the Venezuelans biggest customer.

What is freaking me out is that Venezuela is aligning itself very comfortably with IRAN, CHINA, and RUSSIA. It has signed away its natural resources to China in exchange for money. By the way, the oil is not out of the ground yet and it is years away from being produced. Kind of like selling the plasma of your unborn child. Since I have moved here Ahmadinejad has visited, shook hands and kissed Chavez. Russia is selling massive amounts of arms here, oh, and don't forget about Hugo's BFF's the Castro Brothers of Cuba where Raul is a frequent visitor.

So today I was reading about Iran being really upset about the UN sanctions - due to their refusal to stop enriching uranium and all. In a speech in Shanghai today, Ahmadinejad said that Israel was doomed and singled out US President Barak Obama for scorn after the UN agreed to a to the nuclear sanctions. I also read about many countries in Latin Americas open criticisim of Hilary Clinton's comments during her tour of Latin America recently.

I immediately went to CNN.com to see what they had to say about it. NOTHING. The only information is about the World Cup on the entire front page. The New York Times website did mention it on the front page http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/world/middleeast/11assess.html?hp (were they not supposed to be one of the most liberal newspapers in the world, or did I miss something?). The Los Angeles Times and USA Today had nothing either.

I guess I worry because I have more time on my hands now and I am steeped in it. But I wonder, does anybody else really care? I see an open alignment of countries increasingly critical of the US - many of which would not shed a tear at our demise - and the front page of USA today has POP QUIZ: Do you know celebs and entertainment?

End of the School Year

Some end of the year highlights:

Katherine won the technology award for 3rd grade! She was as surprised as me. I told her sometimes it was nice to get an award for things that just came naturally to you.

Katherine completed her Mini-Society Unit. She created a product (purses) and sold them at the market, and made a profit. At first she thought that charging more than what your raw materials cost was not fair, then we had a long talk about free markets and feeding your children and it made more sense to her. I think teaching capitalism might be illegal in Venezuela - but since we are not recognized as a "real" school by the government, we can get away with it.

Madeline graduated from Kindergarten! It was so cute, as they had the stage dressed up exactly as they did for the High School Graduation. When they enter first grade (through 5th) they wear white shirts instead of red, so here she is receiving her white shirt

Beautiful Madeline in her new white shirt, and graduation cap.

Katherine's Poem

Thoughtful Me.

I am a thoughtful child.

I wonder if wars are going to have violent ends.

I hear everthing in around me in a different way.

I see things from a different perspective.

I want to be understood.

I pretend to be a hero for everyone.

I feel sad when people die of hunger or sickness.

I touch just to feel the textue of something.

I worry about the world and its pollution.

I cry when people die.

I am proud of myself for trying new things.

I understand the way people feel when they are sad.

I say "Don't feel bad" when people get sad.

I dream of a happy world with no fighting.

I try to be a peaceful person.

I hope that my wishes come true.

I am a happy person.

Economic Lessons

I am watching a country fall apart.

It is one of the most fascinating things I have ever had the chance to do.

I have never considered myself a student of politics or economics, but I find myself captivated by what is happening here in Venezuela. I am living in a country with some of the richest natural resources in the world. I am also living in a country with a democratically elected man who is bankrupting the country, giving away its wealth, and driving the best and brightest of its citizens away - all in the name of protecting the poor.

Currently, Caracas has the highest murder rate in the hemisphere and Venezuela has the highest inflation in the world. The basket of goods that the poor here live on went up 8% LAST MONTH. There are few jobs. Crime is skyrocketing. Robbery and kidnapping is an industry and NO ONE is ever caught.

I wonder why this does not happen in the United States. Why are we so lucky? I find this story a cautionary tale for Americans.

I read this article this morning - if you have no interest in politics, please don't read it, but if you do..............

I pasted the text below, but here is the link: http://devilsexcrement.com/2010/05/17/interview-from-el-nacional-with-moises-naim/

The current situation in Venezuela is as complex as the words of Moses Naim are clear and strong to analyze it. His unmistakable style has always remained clear during his long career in the area of international political economy. On this occasion, he wishes to talk about the consequences of the policies implemented in the country, rather than recommendations for their solution because he is convinced that the President will further deepen his devastating policies. “Chavez will not hear anything different from what he believes, even though the reality will send strong signals that he is wrong.”

- What is the economic diagnosis of the country? -
The same that all Venezuelans have. What more need be said of a country that has simultaneously extraordinary oil revenues and the highest inflation in the world? Not even African countries without governments and devastated by war have higher inflation than Venezuela. What can we say about the management of a country with the largest energy resources in the hemisphere, but that forces its inhabitants to live in a constant nightmare of blackouts and energy rationing? A country whose policies have the effect of driving away massive amounts of capital overseas and the best of its human skills, and whose government gives to other countries and without the permission of anyone the nation’s wealth while the vast majority live in misery? The cruelest irony of all this is that the President who says he understands the situation and suffering of the poor is the one that has imposed the most devastating policies for those same poor. There is no “mision“, grants, gifts, subsidies or other handouts to be given to the people, that can offset the impact on the poor of the combination of inflation, unemployment and murders in which it has been condemned to live.

- Capitalism or socialism, market or state? -
I believe in a strong state and that it executes well the things that the market and the private sector can not do or should not do. Police, justice, defense.

The market will not solve education, health, or the insecurity of people in the neighborhoods. That has to be done primarily by the state. But to be effective, the State must be selective. You can not do everything. The Manichean debate between state and market, between capitalism and socialism is a waste of time and serves only to deceive the unwary. It is obvious that it takes both. It is not one or the other, but how to cleverly combine government and market.

- What do you think is the most serious problem in the economic sphere? -
There are many and well known. But perhaps one of the main mistakes President Chávez has made is to fall in love with an economic model that depends for its success on what this country has the least: efficient public officials. When the President nationalizes companies right and left, they are handed over to officials who don’t have the faintest idea of how to efficiently manage such activities. And what we’ve seen is that despite the efforts and good will, or sometimes simply because of laziness or corruption soon these nationalized companies collapse. And if the staff are efficient, why distract them, forcing them to produce sardines or operate cement industries? Top officials should be put in public activities which are a priority for the country, those that if not done by the state are done by no one else. If the state does not produce sardines, rice and cement, others can do it. But if it does not ensure that no one is kidnapped or killed when returning from work, then who will? Protection and personal safety is a service that the rich can buy from the private sector. But the overwhelming majority of Venezuelans depends on the government to protect them and their family.

For Venezuelans it matters less who is the owner of this or that company, that the fact that they are killing their children while the President does not seemed to be too concerned.

- What will be the result of all these policies? -
When a credible accounting of what happened in Venezuela these last ten years is carried out, we will discover that we live in one of the most important episodes in the economic history of the world in terms of wealth destruction, loss of productivity and waste of resources that the country desperately needed to lift people out of poverty. There are many wars that have produced less damage than the economic policies of these times. Today there are more murders in one weekend in Caracas than in Kabul.

-If you had the power for deciding measures an taking decisions on economic matters, what would you do?

One of the paradoxes of the situation we find ourselves in is that it is not even worth talking about what should be done on economic matters. What good is it to talk about the devastating effects which has the fact that the Government steps with one foot on the accelerator of consumption , while at the same time pushes strongly on the break of supply. It maintains an aggressive monetary policy and of public spending which stimulates consumption , while at the same time announces every day a decision which puts the breaks on providing the supply for that consumption. We see constantly how the President thunders against speculation and and the corrupt and following that announces measures that everyone knows will stimulate speculation and will provide even more ample and lucrative opportunities for corruption. He suffers for the poor while his Government is once again the most efficient machinery for the production of poverty.

-Do you think the Government will abolish the capitalist system and replace it with a socialist system? Do you think it will be able to achieve it?

I only know what the President of the Republic says. And Chavez is sincere, repetitive and emphatic with that. Why should I not believe him when he says he hates capitalism and adores socialism? It is one thing for us not to like it, but it is something else to refuse to listen to what a leader says, who has up to now maintained all of his promises on matters of public policy, even if they don’t work and lead him not to fulfill his promises about the results.

-Why do you think the President is so committed to policies that have not worked?

Because he suffers from ideological necrophilia. He is in love with dead ideas. I don’t know what are the psychological motives that lead him to be in love with a vision that he has proof have not worked anywhere. And he does not need to read history. It is sufficient for him to see what is happening to him and the country. At the beginning, the socialist promises and the rhetoric of resentment, racism and taking revenge gave him political dividends, but the bet on fundamentalist socialism has not been won by anyone in the world and at the end those attempts have always created suffering and the political failure of the fundamentalists that promote them. I don’t know if the love for those dead ideologies that the President has are chronic and addictive. Perhaps he will fall out of love with those bad ideas that he is infatuated with once he sees at last that nothing works for him. But for now that love has blinded him. It is a pity that millions of Venezuelans have to pay the immense human cost that Chavez’ passion have had.

-How do you judge the performance of the Venezuelan opposition?

With frustration, understanding and hope. Frustration, because it is difficult to see how it makes mistakes over and over again. Understanding, because the opposition to strong regimes is always fragmented, clumsy, easily sabotaged by the regime and prone to score goals against itself. And hope, because there is no doubt it has matured and learned from its errors. It is admirable to see the persistence and disposition of many to continue their fight despite the risks that implies. How dangerous and costly is to be part of the opposition and how easy and lucrative it is to be Chavista! And it is quite revealing that despite this there is opposition everywhere: in the universities, the high schools, the workers movement, the businessmen, the farmers and cattle ranchers, in the world of culture and science. From the statements of some military that we have read recently even in the Armed Forces. And even within Chavismo. Even the Cubans that come here end up being anti-Chavez.

-What are your projections for the parliamentary elections?

That the opposition will have more representatives in the Assembly that at any time during the Chavez era. It will be interesting to see how he will adapt to a situation in which he no longer controls everything and everyone, all of the time. In a decade the muscles you don’t use can easily become atrophied. And the President has spent too much time without exercising the muscles that allow you to compromise with those that do not share your ideas, the negotiation with opposition politicians and the search for agreement with other social forces. All od this is known in other countries and in the old Venezuela, as democracy…

Shopaholic

I was recently home in Galveston for a mammogram followup (blog to follow). I flew into Houston from Caracas and Heidi picked me up and we drove straight to Victory Breast Diagnostics. My friend Susan Gaskill is the radiologist there and after several scans and an ultrasound I was given a clean bill of health. Nothing to worry about, not sure what they saw in Caracas, go home and have fun. I had scheduled enough time on my trip home for consultations, biopsies, etc... and found myself giddy with three more days ahead of me with basically nothing to do but celebrate.

The next day was a beautiful in Galveston. I was childless, husbandless, soaring with the knowledge that I did not have breast cancer, and a red hot credit card burning a hole in my pocket.

The only thing we buy in Caracas is food. Therefore, on trips home, I usually have a list of much needed items to bring back with me. Clothing items, food, and school supplies usually top the list. I am used to spending more money than I ever considered normal before - as I am cramming months of shopping into one visit.

I had not been to Target in four months. I walked in with my list of essentials - which may have added up to about $400 or $500 total.

Two and a half hours later, I walked out of the store, by FAR breaking my record of money spent in a single day at Target. It was one of the best (and worst) mornings I have ever had in my life.

When I told my friends, they all wondered what the heck I bought for that much money. It was hard to explain the level of shopping zen you have to reach in order to shop with abandon like that.

I walked into the store, I had my list of needs. I also had a list of wants in my brain that I thought if I saw I might grab while I was there. It was early, the store was clean, bright, and uncrowded and I had nowhere pressing to be. I had no husband to worry about rushing home to. No meal to cook. No job waiting for me. No kids screaming to buy them candy, or refusing to try on shoes. Just me, my cart, my credit card, and the muzak.

Due to the brilliant merchandising at Target, the women's fashions were on my immediate left. I did not have any women's fashions on my list, but my cart went weaving into the racks on its own accord. It seems that Target had come out with the new Liberty of London line. If you have seen it - you know how amazing it is.

Another phenomenon is that in Galveston, the cute new stuff is not immediately ripped off the shelves the first day it hits the store by planned neighborhood fashionistas. Most families on the island rebuild their homes, lives and businesses, and furniture takes priority over fashion.

I absolutely NEEDED (wanted) the new denim capris, shorts, and two bathing suits, and then I found the sleeveless cotton tops with the racer backs that I had to have in green AND white because they are just the thing to wear with the weather in Caracas and I had no idea how I had survived without them before.

Having made it past the gauntlet of the women's fashions - AND having rejected at least 5 to 1 the things I took into the dressing room, I rounded the corner and hit the shoe aisle.

I do consider myself above buying WOMEN's shoes at Target, but most of what my kids wear comes from there. There is a new line of shoes for little girls called Miss Trish. It is new to Target and to die for. The sandals are patent leather, and feature whimiscal little jewel animals on the front of each. My children, who did not need shoes, absolutely had to have two pairs EACH. Thank goodness the sports area was close. I had to have a new Yoga Mat (first thing I bought on my list) and, oh and did you see the new Yoga towels meant to go over your mats to absorb sweat for $24. Yes, I paid $24 for a towel.

It was my moment, I was totally wanton, knowing I had crossed over into shopping abandon I kept going. The kids needed new dry erase markers and, on the list were high storage cards for the camera, a new IPOD player for our den, etc. It all adds up - I kept telling myself.

The real damage came when I made it to the kids clothing section.

Ahem.

Damn the Liberty of London line with all the cute florals! I mean its TARGET for God's sake, not Neiman Marcus. I was saving money by shopping there right? How bad could it be?

On my list were shorts for Katherine. Well, Madeline NEEDED nothing, but I can't possibly buy something for one and not the other so...... shorts, bathing suits, dresses and skirts later I left the girls section and headed for the checkout.

Mommy guilt has always been my number one shopping drive. First is was guilt because I worked, but now it is guilt that I dragged them to a foreign country. Overall, it was cathartic but I did feel guilty buying so much stuff we did not need.

But, for the first time in my life (and likely the last), I went to a store, did not think about price, and bought absolutely everything I wanted. In a secret way, I am glad I did, because, I never want to do it again. It was kind of like when I went to Vegas when I was still poor and won "a lot" on the first 2 days of the trip and lost it all on the last day plus $20. I was done, out of my system, and all I want to do in Vegas now is shop, eat well, and see a show wearing cute clothes.

When I went to pay, the first credit card I swiped was rejected. I started sweating. I had worked so hard crafting my piles of needs and treasures - and though the magic of MasterCard fraud protection, I was about to loose it all.

I sheepishly looked at the cashier and asked her if I could try another card. The second credit card went through with no problem. Whew. It is also the one that immediately emails my husband with any purchase. I started sweating again.

Deciding to go on the offensive, I decided to admit my sins before I was asked to explain them. I walked out of the store, loaded my booty into the back, and called Caracas.

"Hello." Chris

"Hi babe!" Me

"How was your morning?" Chris

"Pretty good. I went shopping and got some of the stuff we needed at Target." Me

"Did you find the natural peanut butter I wanted?" Chris

"Target didn't have it, but I will run to the grocery store today and see if I can find it." Me

"OK." Chris

"Uh, honey?" Me

"Whats up?" Chris

"I went a little crazy at Target." Me

Silence

"I got the kids a bunch of stuff that they really did not need, but it was so cute, and I was a little shocked when I went to check out." Me

"OK, how much did you spend?" Chris

"$$$" Me

"WHAT did you buy? I did not know it was possible to spend that much money at Target" Chris

"You know, just stuff we needed, and some other stuff" Me

"OK" Chris

"I promise I will never do that again" Me

"Don't forget the peanut butter" Chris

"OK, love you." Me

"Love you too. Call me tonight. Bye" Chris

I think I got a pass on that one.