CRIME: A Venezuelan Reality

As a Venezuelan citizen, I feel so bad about the criminalistics statics in my country. We are the 5th most dangerous country IN THE WORLD!. Our statics about felonies (mug, kidnap and homicide) are the highest in South America, and the number of death bodies in the mortuary at the end of the year is above Vietnam War Victims.

Of course, that a lot of people in my country are part of the statics, and I am not the exception. I've been mugglered at least 6 times in my life. Going to my university, sitting in a bank on a park, in public transportation, going back from the supermarket, etc.

I remember the last time, was December 23 and I went from Caracas (capital city) from Barquisimeto, the city where my family lives. I went there by bus cause is only 4 hours from Caracas and arrived there around 3:00 p.m.

I was waiting for my mom to pick me in the bus stop, sat on a bank when suddenly a couple (woman and man) sit next to me in each side respectivly. The man pointed a gun in my ribs and pushed so hard while the woman was saying to me: be quiet, and give me your purse.

Everything was so quickly so I've realized that I was been mugglered around 1 minute after. I had a little suitcase with me with all my family gifts and the only think that I did was looked after the suitcase wondering if they will take it too.

Slowly, I take off my purse from my shoulder (which was a gift from mom) and I gave it to her, at this time, the gun that the man has pointed me, was so deeply pushed in my ribs so I started to think that maybe he could shot me and at that point of the robber I felt panic and my eyes became full of tears.

Everybody who was waiting at the bus stop were looking at me knowing that I was being a victim of a robber..but anybody couldn't do anything, cause they know the man was pointed at me with a gun and it could be worse if somebody say something.

I don't know how much time was since they sat around me and the whole thing happened, but suddenly the woman stop a cab, both lift up from the bank and jumped on the cab. I started to cry and all my "nativity" spirit was gone immediately after they had gone.

My mom came to pick me up 10 minutes after that and the only thing that I did was cried in the car, while I borrowed her mobile to do all the respectively calls to banks, mobile phone company, documents, etc. Was a really bad holiday for me.

Jamaican Nightmare

Is it possible that all those terrible things that could happen in a trip, happen in the same trip?

That's exactly what I thought after two days trying to go back to my country after a Vacation.

It was during my first visit to Jamaica, when after a new year's eve in Montegobay, I decided to fly to Kingston to spend the first 7 days of the years experiencing the city and the beaches.

That, would have been possible if the airline hadn't sent my luggage to another country (Nassau) by mistake. The next three days, I went to the airport to follow up on my case, and the only answer that I had was: " I'm sorry, we don't have phone communication with our office in Nassau, so you have to wait until your luggage is send back here, and ... we'll call you".

It seems to be impossible for me that the same airline hasn't phone communication between each other in the 21st century ! anyway, my nightmare just begun that day.

Meanwhile, I decided to enjoy the rest of the trip. I bought a swimsuit and went to the beaches. I ate typical food on the beaches restaurants and I visited the Bob Marley Museum. Finally, the day before going back home, my luggage came back.. at the night. Fortunately, nothing had been stolen.

The next day, while I was in the airport waiting on line to do my check in and go back home, I was thrilled while I heard the lady on the counter saying to me: " I'm sorry, you don't have a confirmed ticket to go to Venezuela, so I can't let you jump on the plane"

As soon as that happened, I called my travel agency in Venezuela. My surprise was double when I received an apology because it was a mistake with my ticket and effectively, I didn't have a confirmed ticket to go back home.

It was the beginning of the year. The flights were oversold because everybody was returning home after December. So, I didn't have a choice and I had to wait 2 days more for availability in flights to my country!. At the end, I bought a new ticket with a different airline and finally, went back home. 

But I have to say that being trapped in a country which language is not your native, plus the mistakes and inefficiency of the tourist system, can transform your dreamed vacations into the worst nightmare. 

Culture

We are surrounding by a lots of things in each element of our daily adventures.. Food, clothes, manners, music and books are a little vehicles of expression for us. As a result, all of us have a compendium of these things in a specific way that we can sum up in one word: CULTURE.
Through our Culture and as direct reflect of our countries, we can show to the world what we're made of in

Changes in Diet

Around 1920, food processing become the most large manufacturing industry in The United States, leaving behind long hours in each home for food preparing and serving. With both parents at work, and a increasing pre - modern family dynamic, headed by the speed of becoming days, the prepackage and freezed food comes to the american tables to stay for a long time becoming more a meal than a food.

Could one of the most powerful nations in the world suffering of hunger, having one the most largest industry of food processing?

According to Feeding America, 1 in 4 children in the US is leaving without inconsistent access to a properly diet, as a result, they don´t have enough nutritious food for living a healthy live or healthy diet. For nobody it´s a secret that a diet equally enrichment with animal protein, vegetables, fruits and fiber is the ideal balance for growing kids and adults, however, American families are far to reach all the components of this balance.

With a Fast food, pre package and frozen food Industry which revenues are around of $10 billion (According to Dun & Bradstreet, 2010), it turns that the healthy food become expensive that “non healthy food”, reason why American´s are struggling with the dilemma between pay bills or buy healthy food; this regardless the almost inexistent marketing industry for fruit and vegetables.

As a result of all this “ingredients” together in nowadays american´s diet, there´s an increase diseases associated with hunger and diet, being headed by two of the most important chronic diseases such as Diabetes and Obesity, however, the longest term consequence of this is that hunger slows physical and mental development in children and leaves them more vulnerable to illness and anaemia.

More than a simple fact or component from a changing diet, hunger could be one of the most dreaded effect in all this chain of events, because the scope could be, by far, the one who stay physically, mentally and psychologist present for the next 40 years.

While, now 49 million American families are in risk for hunger, 30% of people more likely to be hospitalized and 50% children more likely to repeat a grade, are we in presence of the next America´s biggest epidemic?

Healthy Living

Talking about health and healthy ways to live, is difficult to summarize and package everything in a magic pill, furthermore we need to decide what we want  to "heal "  first between our body and our mind.
I'm not that king of person who thinks that a healthy living is about one thing or another, in the other way, I think is about the WHOLE thing in us what needs to be healing. Inside and outside and both are fatefully entwined. 

Venezuelan Inmigrant in Chicago, journalist (trained as), producer & event planner from my heart, flamenco dancer, animal lover, kabbalist student,  and my last and interesting mission: Mom to be.
My mission create a better place in world for everybody using the education and the real concious  in our actions.