Witchcraft and Demons

An interesting conversation of note last night.  One of my cousins named Maryuris told me that I shouldn’t say people’s names at night, especially  her name or her sister Wendi’s name.  When I asked why this was she said because some kind of demon named a yuruja might come after the person who’s name you … Continue reading →

To Be or Not To Be(An Illegal, That IS)?

Ok, Well I have some interesting updates.  First, Yanitza and I went to the Venezuelan/Colombian Border to get my passport stamps done again.  What an absolute disaster that was.  We decided to go from Machiques to Orope and cross the border into Puerto Santander Colombia.  I forgot though, that on my first trip through there … Continue reading →

GOVERNMENTS SUCK

Well I have to start by apologizing that I haven’t been keeping up with my blog very well.  There hasn’t been too much going on sadly. My merchandise has been stuck in customs here forever now.  It turns out that the government here decided it was time to rotate shifts for the customs agents.  Apparently … Continue reading →

History of a Gringo in Venezuela

HOW TO SEE WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF Four years ago I embarked on a journey that has been changing my life ever since. Many Americans become bored with everyday life in the United States and wish that they could go somewhere else, do something else, and be someone else, but few ever actually take the … Continue reading →

Business Delays, Siestas, and Holidays

Well I´m ready to rock n´roll.  Unfortunately the party police don´t want to let me… at least not yet.  After my merchandise has been a week late in arriving to Maracaibo, I thought, “Surely now I can start working and making money so that I can do some constructive things here.”  I called my freight … Continue reading →

Crime in Semi-Rural Venezuela

POLICE PAY HIT MAN TO CLEAN UP CRIME IN SMALL-TOWN VENEZUELA   http://www.aporrea.org/regionales/n153146.html  Panorama, VE Small towns in Venezuela aren’t as dangerous as New York City.  But it certainly isn’t Mayberry with Barney Fief as the deputy.  The Crime rate in Machiques is up a lot since the last time I was living here, 4 … Continue reading →

Venezuelan paramilitaries

Pamphlets of Death and Paramilitary Activity in Maracaibo   ‘Armed’ to the teeth’ commandos came and put us up against the wall to search us. They said that if they saw us talking again in the corner, they were going to f**k us over. “So recounted Francisco (fictitious name of a young man of 17 … Continue reading →