July 1, 2007

Sunday

Day 13 

 

We woke up to sprinkles again and a breakfast of eggs, arepe fresh fruit, cheese and avacado.  Then off on the bus to Caracas.  Adios Sanare!  We loaded all the luggage onto the small bus, put the sick folks on the larger, air conditioned bus (Dave, Jacob, Mary, Judy, Steve J., Steve E., and Fred) and off we went.  Stopped for lunch, then shopping at an artisans market and one bano stop and arrived in Caracas at 5:pm.  Fred won the betting pool set up to see when we would arrive.  We checked into the King’s Hotel, dropped our suitcases in our rooms and time for a  45 minute rehearsal of “Let America.”  Then off to pizza with Eva Golinger.  She basically laid out the premise of her book, “The Chavez Code” about the US government’s involvement in the attempted 2002 coup of Chavez and had a question and answer time.  Then, praise be, rehearsal cancelled due to exhaustion by everybody and off to bed. 

 

Caracas is a busy, noisy city, similar to Chicago or LA.  It was difficult for us to sleep because of all the honking cars, yelling and street noise.  The weather is cooler and drier.

 

July 2, 2007

Monday

Day 14

 

I woke up crying this morning.  Sleep was practically impossible, I am having some intestinal problems, my head hurt and my throat felt funky.  I just imagined that I was sick and going to miss the concert.  But after an Alleve, 2 cups of Venezuelan coffee and a prayer that I would focus on the positive, I am doing better.  Dennis and I ran to the Farmatado to get Fred some antibiotics (Karen Ernst is in bed today!), played 2 games of Spite and Malice and waited for breakfast. 

 

Dennis  went on a field trip to the botanical gardens and I went with Steve and Julie Johnson and Ros to find some chocolate at a great shop, exchanging money (a time-consuming affair that includes a thumb print) and taking in the sights.  Back for a rest.  Then off to rehearsal.  We hired a 5 piece brass quintet, oboist, keyboard, timpani, conga drummer and maraca player.  We worked hard for 3 hours.  It is beginning to sound very good, although the hall is not ideal.

 

Home for some free time and then off to dinner with Barbara, a founder of a grassroots group in opposition to Chavez.  She was difficult for me to listen to.  She sounded like a neo-con, called Chavez a coward because he had never been wounded in war, etc.  But we realized we were there to listen, not to convert her.  Several of us had paella.  Very good.  Then a short stroll to find ice cream and gelato.

 

July 3, 2007

Tuesday

Day 15

 

Up early again.  What else is new!  I guess being in a new country is too exciting for sleeping in.  We tried to find the hours posted on the nearest internet café, but it wasn’t available.  I am so frustrated to not find any way to communicate with my family.  Then on a quest to get some bolivares, but none of the ATM’s had money.  Breakfast was delicious:  black beans, an omelette and toast.  All the juice in this hotel is wonderful.

 

Rehearsal for 1 hour and then a Q & A with Greg Wilpert, an analyst of Venezuelan affairs.  His website is Venezuelanalysis.com.  It was a great way to end our time here with Global Exchange. He was very balanced in his views and did a tremendous job of laying things out for us in an understandable way.

 

Next came free time!  We jogged down to the artisan’s alley, several blocks from the hotel, and met up with another group who had ridden the metro (subway).  Lee had her money belt picked out of her purse with her passport and all her money inside.  She spent the day getting pictures taken, running to the US embassy only to be rebuffed, told her pictures weren’t the right size and to come back on Friday!  So much for friendly embassy service.  We, on the other hand, had a great day of shopping, lunch at a cachapa stand (Leo’s favorite:  sweet corn pancake filled with ham and melted cheese) and just enough time to change for the concert.  On the bus by 3:15 and a quick run- through with the orchestra once we arrived at UVC.    The concert, which was to have begun at 5:00, was delayed until 5:30. 

 

One of the groups from the Isla de Margarita festival was an a capella jazz sextet led by a University professor.   He also leads a women’s chorus, also a sextet, who we had met at the festival, and they began our program.  Their pieces included Redemption Song by Bob Marley and Over the Rainbow.  Then we sang “Si Somos” and “Let America Be America Again”.  They both went very well. 

 

Carolina and Nestor introduced “Let America” with Langston Hughes’ poem in Spanish, and we changed the words to one of the phrases in the piece to Spanish as well.  Dayna did her alto solo at the end of the piece in Spanish.  It seemed much more accessible to the audience with these changes.  Sergio did a great job of introducing the pieces, as he did throughout the entire trip,  and his narration helped draw the audience in. 

 

The brass quintet performed 2 great pieces.  Then we were back onstage for Sicut, Shenandoah, Louisiana, Courage and Viva Venezuela (with Alvoro on the verses and the audience on the chorus).  For an encore, the men did Wim eh Weh.  The women’s group provided refreshments for us, pina and melon smoothies and “apple pie”, rather an apple pastry.  It was fun to see Gabriel, our singing bus driver and several people from Isla in our audience including Tim and Justin’s friends.

 

We celebrated on the ride home, then a quick Angel Falls orientation and off to the same restaurant as the previous night for a pod debriefing and dinner.  Everyone shared what they would bring back with them from this trip to help people understand what is going on in Venezuela.  A Global Exchange person was placed in each group to help to lead the discussion.

 

Then back to the hotel to repack everything.  Those of us continuing onto Angel Falls can only bring backpacks (the rest of the luggage to be stored at the hotel) and everything needs to be wrapped in plastic.

 

On the way to the restaurant, we saw fireworks, and realized they were from the US embassy celebrating Independence Day, even though it was on the 3^rd.  We felt some bitterness, knowing how Lee was treated by her own country, and it seemed rather belligerent to have such a show.