Day One

We're already almost done with our first 24 hours here at the Anzoátegui International School. I'm feeling very comfortable here and already excited that this is going to be the weather I will be enjoying all year. The internet in my house isn't working, but it's fine because I get the joy of writing this in a shaded pavilion outside with a glass of pear juice. Here's a picture of my view:

It's absolutely gorgeous here and we were taken around and to lunch by our director, Marcelo, this morning. Anaco is a very small city with not too much to do. We got to see the super market and shopping mall, both of which are about a mile away from our school. We were advised not to walk because people drive "like madmen." There are no sidewalks and Marcelo informed us that even if there were, it would not be unlikely for a car to drive up on the curb to get around another car. We should take taxis everywhere. We were also told to call the taxis whose numbers will be given to us as opposed to taken any random one. A "taxi" in Anaco is a car with a small sticker that says "taxi" on the window. These stickers can be purchased anywhere for a few dollars. Anyone can be a taxi driver. 

The cost of everything here is fairly reasonable. We can get taxis to the grocery store/shopping center for $4 (US) which if split between two people is only two dollars a person. Completely reasonable. Venezuela would be pretty expensive, even for an American, because of inflation, if you were to exchange money at a legal rate. "Legally" we should get about 4.5 bolívares for 1 US dollar, but through the black market and the help of our director/students parents we get the much more common (and technically illegal) rate of 8.5 bolívares per US dollar. Here are what my bolívares look like:

It seems pretty standard for things to be done "illegally" here. Going through customs at the airport they didn't even look at what everyone came in with because its so normal for rich Venezuelans to fly to Miami, buy a ton of stuff, then come back to Venezuela. There's also almost no cops anywhere. Marcelo said that if you police ever decide to stop you for anything it is completely normal just to give them a couple hundred bolivares. He said Venezuelans think that American legal systems are too harsh and that you end up being punished for years for what they consider a minor infraction. They rather just pay a fine to the cops right then and be done with it. 

In the afternoon we went around taking pictures of the campus and began setting up classrooms a little bit. Below are some pictures of what the campus looks like. It's very gated with security and has iguanas every, which I think is awesome. Here's some pictures of the campus: 

Awesome iguana

The playground for daycare/pre-k/k

The inside of the school

Eventually I will have a post about where I am living, but my current house is not permanent. I will be moving to the apartments they are building right next to my current house. I was told I'd move in about a week, I doubt they'll be done by then. It is South America. Here is the gist of my current situation:

This is the house that I am currently living in.

This will be my lovely two bedroom apartment once it's done.

So, basically, Venezuela is awesome. Life here is great so far. I'm really enjoying living here and can't wait to start teaching/traveling. Meetings/classroom set up start tomorrow at 7:30 am and we're heading to Puerta la Cruz this Saturday for a nice day of Caribbean beaches and shopping. #LivingTheLife