Tuesday, November 9, 2010

A silent cry for hope


1946 -Tree of hope- by Frida Kahlo
 Caracas, Venezuela November 9th, 2010

This week I am in Caracas again for work. It has been exactly one year since my last visit, and the feeling of uncertainty, insecurity and hopelessness is even greater. People's attitude is decaying; there's no spirit of service in hotels, airports, taxi drivers. They are just doing a job not trying to be better; as if there's nothing more.

The few priviledged ones willing to play the game a so call socialist government dictates are investing in huge hotels, luxury restaurants, fancy car dealerships (A Land Rover average price in Venezuela is 300K USD). A 28-story brand new hotel with state of the art furniture, fixtures, lamps, rectified marble floors and even a vertical garden on their walls... but inside, the common employee areas, such as the bathroom and lockers...perfectly extracted from a prison movie; not only ugly, but degrading. Is not fair...it doesn't feel right. Maybe is just me, but it feels... so... sad.

Allow me to re-share  a post written one year ago, also in Caracas...also frustrating. Same country, same feeling...changing slowly...probably for the worse.

Caracas, Venezuela November 4th, 2009
It was early when I arrived. The streets were packed with cars, bikes and people selling stuff, buying stuff, yelling stuff. I had just enough time to take a quick shower, grab a small coffee and head to work. While riding on the back of the car I started to look around, I tried to see beyond the obvious. And then it kicked me: to my left, a magnificent range of mountains covered with a dense and low fog... it was the sadest look of a city pretending everything is all right, trying to believe is going to be fine.
A tree was emerging on one side, covered with white birds. They didn't sing, nor did they move. They were just there looking to the other side of the road, towards a mountain hiding from reality behind the wet hug of a selective fog, that was just covering the beautiful side of the street. The rest, was cristal clear. Or at least it was to me. That's how it felt anyway. The silent cry of a country waiting for it's people to wake up from their collective numbness.

With all due respect to the people of Venezuela...who have been expressing their pain in every word and attitude shared with this little foreigner...so you may regain hope.

14 comments:

  1. whew...how sad...to be immersed in the hopelessness...perhaps youare a light...

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  2. What a moving post! "..hiding from reality behind the wet hug of a selective fog,.." I think you captured the state of the world with this single line.
    Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

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  3. So sad. Olga, I agree with Brian, perhaps you're the light, the tree of hope in disguise.

    Thanks for raising awareness about this.

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  4. I know a little about the political problems in your country. How wonderful that you are a candle of hope within your circle of relationships.

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  5. By the way, OJ, I have added you to my sidebar blog list. It's always wonderful to get a multinational perspective.

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  6. Very moving. So often, we are blinded by our own troubles and forget that others are living in hopelessness. It is difficult to know how to help. The little I can provide is prayer. Very moving indeed.
    Nancy
    N. R. Williams, fantasy author

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  7. you have interesting posts! very interesting...

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  8. OJ, what a beautiful, but sad post. It truly is difficult for many people to even think about living such a life. Some of the "fortunate" ones don't even realize what they have.

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  9. Sad, and I feel that the US is heading in that direction, too.

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  10. Hmmm, this was certainly food for thought...

    http://ficklecattle.blogspot.com/

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  11. What a sad---but well crafted---picture of a country. I have a friend who is married to a man from Venezuela, and I know he loves the land where he spent so many years, but I also know he appreciates what he has here in America.

    But I also agree with Katie. Aren't we becoming a nation of people who are numb and unfeeling and apathetic...people who are only concerned with ourselves?

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