A few days ago our group was meeting with an (antichavez) union leader, and while he was presenting three of his workers were killed in a factory take over, and six more shot. Chavez has repeatedly announced that he will support all workers who take over factories, and encourages factory take over and worker organization, even offers programs to help train workers to take on bookkeeping and sales... supposedly. He allowed the workers to be shot, and has done nothing to counter it.
On a lighter note, a day I know you have all been waiting for - I cut my hair. It´s about an inch, inch and a half long, I still have bangs. it worked out well. My host mother was much relieved.
Everyday here is a stuggle, to explain myself. The people of Venezuela are very well educated in politics, of their country and ours. They all ask me about US politicians, about laws and other issues in the states, it´s very hard to disscuss poliitcs in a foreign language. They mostly all ask about Obama (who they hate) it´s hard to explain that yes i understand he is bad, but voting in the US is the lesser of two evils, and there is no revolution option. They ask me why pepole in the US think Obama is socialist, do they know what socialst means? They ask me why people are so pleased with Obama, and why people in the States are so stupid. It´s very hard to make up for a country´s ignorance in one conversaiton. If 50% of our population was as well read and informed as Venezuela, we would be a different people.
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Wow, baby doll, lots of food for thought. I am very interested that you are finding that people there "hate" Obama. I thought in your pre-trip research there was a more positive outlook toward him. Your Aunt Carol just experienced such positive and hopeful expectations r/t Obama in Argentina.
I think with people who have as much (of everything) as we do there is the slippery slope of becoming appathetic and we loose ownership of our governmental destiny. Democracy is, after all, HARD WORK. I so appreciate your exploring this part of life from a different perspective. I also look at myself at your age and remember how energetic I was toward politics/community before I had to bang out a living year after year. You inspire me to want to return to being part of a solution and working at some project to help someone else... now that my work of raising you is done :-)
And let's see a picture of your new coifure! Oh how our hair is so much more than hair.. always love you all ways
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