Posted: March 10

Winter in Caracas

It is hard to believe that it is ´winter´ here, since the days are bright and sunny, warm but not too hot. The nights cool off and are very pleasant. Even though Caracas is only half an hour drive from the Caribbean if the traffic isn´t bad, it is almost 3,000 feet above sea level. The surprising thing for me has been how modern the city is, more like Brasilia than one of the old colonial capitals like Guatemala City. I am staying at the Jesuit university here which has around 10,000 students and is also very modern. I will be writing a longer report when I get back to Rome; for now, suffice it to say that it is highly developed and very impressive. This morning I visited the offices and studio of the Fe y Alegria radio station. The Society has 10 stations in the country, all connected to a very sophisticated system of ´popular´ education aimed at both children and working adults. Perhaps the best part of being here is the warm welcome you get from Latin Americans. Even though I have never been to Venezuela before, I feel very much at home here. The only real problem is my language confusion. At times I feel like it is hopeless. When I first got to Rome, Spanish popped automatically out of my mouth when I tried to speak Italian. Now the opposite is happening. Although I understand what is going on, I feel kind of helpless. Perhaps that is why I like the people here--they are very patient. It is hard work, listening intently to someone explain their work--and not just work, but their passion for the project they have committed themselves to--while you are listening in a language you don´t normally speak. This makes me appreciate the people who can navigate faultlessly through multiple languages. One thing interesting I learned to day: baseball is more popular than soccer. I knew that I was not in Italy when I heard that.