Having lived and taught high school students in Venezuela since July of last year, I have had time to reflect on all that Venezuela and its people have taught me. On a recent beach side run, I compiled my lessons into categories that might capture what this experience in South America has helped me learn.
Lesson 1: PATIENCE
Venezuelans spend a large amount of time waiting for things and they do so quite patiently. I have joined them in long lines for hours where I observe their tiny children waiting almost as patiently as the adults do. I have not yet witnessed a single toddler meltdown or an angry customer.Venezuelans regularly wait in lines outside stores to buy whatever products are in short supply (flour, sugar, milk, toilet paper). Not one person lost it last October, waiting 40 minutes inside a sold-out sealed-up airplane on the tarmac with no air-conditioning (where a woman two seats behind me fainted). We simply sat there and sweat buckets and waited patiently knowing that eventually “this too shall pass.” I have become significantly more patient while waiting.
Lesson 2: GREETINGS
One bit of cultural advice I received during the first week here, was that upon entering a social gathering, it is customary to make the rounds and greet each person—even if I don’t know them. This took some getting used to. I was forced to reflect on how often I arrive at a party in the United States, and typically talk to the folks I know first. Eventually I meet some of the new people but only when the opportunity presents itself or if I’m actually introduced to them. In Venezuela, we greet everyone as if they are new friends to be met and the inclusive atmosphere sets the tone for each social gathering.
The same custom applies upon leaving a party;there is no slipping out the door when no one is looking. We make the rounds and say “goodbye” to each person there. And we accompany both the hello and goodbye greetings with a light cheek-to-cheek press while making a soft kiss sound with our lips. It is downright decent and human. It’s not just the adults who greet others this way; my students do it, too. Before heading to the airport for our Model United Nations trip to Boston, a school van met all the students whose parents had driven them to a central location and I watched as student after student arrived in their parent’s cars. It was 5 am and each sleepy student greeted every other student AND every parent who brought their son or daughter to the location AND greeted the two of us teachers—all with the same warmth and kindness. It was lovely.
Venezuelans do a lot of greeting each other warmly: when they see each other at the office, out for a run, at the market,etc. At work, my colleagues actually take the time to exchange a few pleasantries before launching into a request. This extends to e-mail and phone conversations as well; it’s not considered polite to simply say, “Hello, Joe. I was wondering if you could attend a meeting today.” No. Much better to start out with, “Hello, Joe. How are you doing today? That’s a terrific looking shirt, is it new?” And THEN you can get to the business portion of your request. It’s been a good reminder to actually SEE the person you’re talking to; to ACKNOWLEDGE the receiver of your email or phone call. At times it’s been a challenge since we Americans tend to be fairly rushed and all business and “who has time for all this chit-chat, just let get me to saying what I need!!” Taking the time to start with a greeting is a habit I hope to hang onto when I return to the rushed pace of the U.S.
Lesson 3: SLOWLY, SLOWLY.
There’s not a lot of rushing here–especially on the roads. Driving in Venezuela is chaotic and borders on the lawless.Unprotected intersections are often clogged with gridlock but with the proper combination of tenacity and generosity, everyone appears to get to their destinations. I have seen surprisingly few accidents and the key ingredient seems to be going slowly. It’s sort of a “You’ll go first; then I’ll go next—trust me!” game of roulette, but the game can be successful if we all inch along carefully without too much rushing.
I haven’t observed a lot of Venezuelans rushing through anything; it’s as if they have all the time they need to be present to each other more authentically. When it comes to language acquisition, a valuable phrase our Spanish teacher taught us was, “Puedes hablar despacio, por favor?” Could you speak slowly, please? And, really, what is the all-fire hurry? What exactly are we racing towards anyway?
Lesson 4: LIVE WITHIN THE LIMITATIONS
If we get through a weekend in which there is a consistent supply of water, electricity AND Internet, it is an unexpected bonus. However we have learned to live within the limits of having the water turned off during times of rationing. When the power suddenly goes out, we have spontaneous candlelight dinners. If there happens to be a pint of ice cream in the freezer, we traditionally get it out and eat every last bite because who likes ice cream that’s been melted and re-frozen? We put down our phones and Ipads, break out the paperback books, do a little writing on paper, take a walk or take a nap.
The scarcity of products is a condition we have learned to accept. This has been true at the market as well as at school. When I got my classroom stapler from the school secretary in August, I was given TWO ROWS of staples (not two boxes—two ROWS). I’ve been forced to get creative by using whatever book titles and supplies can be found. One “splurge” food for the first few months here was bacon and we found it in the stores every week. Oatmeal,on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. Upon returning from Christmas break, we loaded our suitcases with oatmeal (which sadly burst open and scattered into every nook and cranny of our bag). And then the month we returned, we couldn’t find bacon anywhere, but lo and behold, there was some oatmeal on the shelves.We have learned to get by with whatever we find and get along without what we cannot find and we do just fine.
Lesson 5: SHARING REALLY IS CARING
When your colleague has two children under 2 years of age and she can’t find milk but you have an extra carton, it’s a no-brainer. You share. The beauty of it is, that same colleague has the sugar you haven’t been able to locate and the exchange benefits everyone. Mention that you’re down to your last tablespoon of coffee and no store seems to have any, and the next day a friend arrives to your classroom with a pound she didn’t need. Can’t find flour? Someone else has two bags, and only needs one–so there you go. When my swim goggles broke the first month here, my friend who forgot to bring bug spray made an exchange with me. We share everything from meals to rides to tips for survival. As most of us are far from home, we are each others’ families; one young family with children the same age as our two grand kids, helps fill the ache of missing our little ones during mid-week dinners and weekend boating excursions.
We come back from all of our trips laden with gifts for the people who care for us. Secretaries, guards, maids, custodians,assistants and friends are thoughtfully considered and when they receive the gifts we bring them, we are liberally showered with gratitude and appreciation.
Lesson 6: SEE THE BEAUTY
Before we came here, our superintendent told us that living in Venezuela would be a “bi-polar” experience. He was right. We stand on the balcony of our luxurious apartment overlooking an infinity pool and the Caribbean and boom–the power goes out. Or we come back from a morning run or an afternoon of snorkeling and all we want is a shower but —DANG–there’s no water. Or as in the example our administrator used when he hired us, “You might come home from work and all you want is a cheese sandwich, but your maid ate your last piece of cheese. The good news is you have a maid; the bad news is she ate your last piece of cheese.” We choose to see
the beauty.
There is so much to celebrate in Venezuela—the views are magnificent, the weather is spectacular and, oh my god, we LIVE at the beach. But the beaches are littered with trash, the city’s buildings are dilapidated, street dogs and stray cats are everywhere. Sure we could focus on the things that break, the food borne stomach-bugs that can lay us flat, or the crime rate. But instead we choose 
to see a culture that nourishes our souls—and in so doing we have been treated to a school year that has given us an opportunity to travel throughout South America and has re-energized our passion for work and for life.
These have easily been the most memorable months of our lives. Without a doubt, we better understand our own lives by immersing ourselves in another culture to provide us with lessons we never imagined we needed to learn.
This article was submitted by guest author Connie Finnegan.
Bio: After 25 years of teaching in Wisconsin, Connie Finnegan taught high school English at Colegio Internacional Puerto la Cruz in Barcelona, Venezuela between 2013-2015.
