Tag Archives: Latin America

October 9, 2023 · 9:37 am

Traveling To Honduras this Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month is almost over. From September 15th through October 15th, the USA recognizes the history and contributions of the Latino/a/x community during Hispanic Heritage Month. This year, I wanted to share a bit about each country in Latin América where I had the chance to visit. My primary reason was to highlight those countries that are not as visited, but also to share some other less known places in tourism-high countries. Today, I want to share my experiences visiting Honduras.

Nothing like the bright colors of the mercados of Latin América.

It is possible that what you have heard about Honduras is all related to violence, death, murders, drugs, and the political instability that feeds those social ills. Although it is true that Honduras has had a history of violence related to gangs and drugs, it is also true that the country is a beautiful place beyond the well known tourist destination of Roatán island.

I have been to Honduras twice. Both times I visited the capital, Tegucigalpa. My travels there were related to work: partnering with the United Nations HIV/AIDS Program, which at the time, was led by a good friend who has since passed. Visiting with a friend who lived there made a huge difference in how I experienced Honduras. However, this doesn’t mean that you will not experience a wonderful country if you go alone or as a tourist.

Tegucigalpa, or Teguz, as the locals call it, and Comayaguela, it’s twin city, are filled with surprises. Walking around the old town of Teguz was a great way to understand the people of the country. The streets are filled with stores, food vendors, and my favorite, bookstores! There is a small hotel district on the modern part of the city, where visitors can stay with low or no concerns about violence reaching them. (But always remember that all big cities have violence and crime, this is not exclusive to Latin American big cities.) The district has great cafés and bars which offer great places to meet locals and learn more about their culture. Every morning, I would walk to the little café near my hotel to get some delicious local coffee and just relax by taking in all the beauty of the district, it’s public art, and to watch as people made their ways to work, school, and engaged in their daily routines.

The ever-present contrast of old and new in Latin América.

The second time I was in Honduras, the people were hosting almost daily marches demanding their government to be more transparent and accountable to the people. Of course, I could not just stay by the sides while my siblings were doing the right thing, and I joined the marches and protests for a bit. This is not something I would encourage people to do, of course, as it could be very dangerous. But I was moved to doing it, and I knew I had the privilege of “passing” and not calling to much attention to my participation as a foreigner.

Visiting the mercados, or markets, should be on everyone’s list when traveling to Latin América. We visited a couple of them, and although I cannot remember their names or exact location, I do remember eating some of the best meals there. I was also excited to eat the traditional baleada, a must-have of the Honduran culinary tradition. It was also interesting to see the many fast foods restaurants dedicated solely to baleadas.

One evening, a small group of consisting of my friend, a few of her coworkers, and I took time to enjoy the nightlight. It was great visiting a local establishment with live music and dancing as well as good food. After this, we attended a wonderful concert from Honduran singer-songwriter Guillermo Anderson at the National Theater in Tegucigalpa. Anderson’s music spoke to my soul! He blends some trova with other traditional Latin American music, all with lyrics that speak to the reality of people’s lives, from falling in love to emigrating. I had never heard of Guillermo Anderson before this trip, and now I am obsessed with his music. His song “El encarguito” speaks of the yearning that we all have as we leave our countries and ask whomever can send something to us, to do so. Joining cultural events such as this are important when I travel because it shows me a side of the country which I would not know if I only stayed at hotels with no interaction with the arts scene of the places I visit.

Finally, I would highly recommend a day road trip to Valle de Angeles. This beautiful mountain town is a must-see for any person visiting the area near Tegucigalpa. Valle de Angeles is a quaint, rural town with cafés, craft shops, lowkey bars, and beautiful traditional Honduran architecture. It offers an opportunity to leave the hassle and bustle of the big city to join the quietness of rural life. The road itself is beautiful and a great way to experience a part of the country that very few get to experience. To my surprise, as we

The sprawling city of Tegucigalpa.

were approaching Valle de Angeles, we ran into a Puerto Rican restaurant with very traditional dishes from the Island! A veteran who was at some point stationed in Honduras and married a local woman, decided to stay after service, and they decided to open this restaurant as their way to bringing a piece of home for him, while also generating income during their retirement. Their food was delicious!

Honduras is a beautiful country, with wonderful people and places to visit. It is a shame that people have listened more to the news than to the people of the country. Although I knew I had to take extra precautions while visiting, I also got to experience a country that is thriving with culture, nature, and natural beauty. I can’t wait to visit once more, and I hope you get inspired to visit it too.

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October 2, 2023 · 6:12 pm

Traveling With Quetzal This Hispanic Heritage Month – Guatemala

I want to continue sharing with you my experiences of traveling throughout Latin América this Hispanic Heritage Month. The countries I am sharing about are the ones I have visited, even if just once. Each one of them has their own cultures, their own cuisines, their own beauty, their own challenges, and their own histories. I don’t pretend to be an expert on Latin América, much less on the countries I have visited and only experienced a sliver of what they really are. I am not even an expert in my own country! But these are beautiful places I have visited and I wanted to share a bit of each one with you this Hispanic Heritage Month, in the hopes that it inspires you to visit places that you might have never thought of visiting.

Today, I take you to the land of the Quetzal: Guatemala. The Quetzal is a small bird endemic to certain parts of Central América. Unfortunately, the bird is endangered, and their numbers continue to dwindle. They are also very shy, and in all the years I have visited Central América, including the areas where the Quetzal is present, I have never seen one in real life. That does not take away from the reality that Guatemala is beautiful, full of history and wonderful things to experience, from its culture to its delicious cuisine.

My first visit to Guatemala was by car. I was visiting a friend in El Salvador, and we decided to drive to Guatemala for a long weekend. This was the first — and so far, only — time I crossed a land border in Central América. I drove through the southern part of El Salvador, entering Guatemala through the Hachadura entrance, crossing the Río Paz. This is a border entrance mostly used by trailers, and it wasn’t until almost an hour when I realized that I could’ve skipped the line of trailers and enter through a second gate for passenger cars. The process was different than entering and exiting the land border between the USA and México or Canada, both of which I have crossed in the past. Here, I had to leave the car and

The Río Paz border between El Salvador (right) and Guatemala (left.)

present my passport and pay the entry fee inside the customs and immigration building. Once over the other side, a few miles away from the border, we were stopped and our car searched. Again, a different experience. But the border patrol was really nice and, although I had to pay an extra fee — wink, wink — at the border crossing, the border patrol who stopped us didn’t ask for extra payments. They were curious about the binoculars I had and the Swiss knife I was carrying. Thankfully, they didn’t seize them and we went on our way.

It was fun driving through a country for the first time. We passed several small and large villages and towns, taking in all the beauty of the country. At last, very late at night after I got lost, we entered Antigua Guatemala, the most visited tourist city in the country. Antigua is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. The first time I was here, with my Salvadorean friend, we visited several churches and ruins, taking in all the history of this previous capital of the former Captaincy General of Guatemala from which many of the administrative business of Central América took place during colonial times.

This first time I visited was during low tourism season, which is honestly the best to visit. The city only had a handful of tourists, and pretty everyone was local. We visited a bar in the main square, and got to chat with the other two people at the bar. It turned out to be a couple of friends, one local to Antigua, and her friend from Perú was visiting. With the only bartender being the other person there, we had a pretty cool, international group: two Guatemalan women, a Peruvian man, a Salvadorean man, and myself, a Puerto Rican man. Central América, the Caribbean, and South América coming together to enjoy some delicious Guatemalan rum.

More recently, I went back to Antigua, as my husband and I visited Guatemala for my birthday last September 2022. The city was as charming and as beautiful as always and my husband was also enamored by the city and its charm. The history of this city is worth learning, as well as taking the time to

Proudly displaying the national flag on a passenger bus in Antigua Guatemala.

explore every inch of the place. Of course, the food here is like in no other place! From the local carts selling all sorts of delicious traditional Guatemalan snacks to the international restaurants with five-star chefs from around the world! I can still taste the delicious French dishes I ate here, better than at any French restaurant I have visited in the USA thus far.

When I returned to Guatemala this past year, our first stop was not Antigua, though. As soon as we stepped out of the airport, we rented a car and drove to Santa Catarina Palopó, a tiny village on the eastern side of Lake Atitlán in the center of the country. The lake itself is beautiful, and the small village was the perfect place to relax and disconnect from the hustle and bustle of work. The village also has a coffee museum, which for me, having grown up in a coffee farm, was wonderful to experience. Santa Catarina also has, like most of Guatemala, a strong Maya identity. This was something that both my husband and I enjoyed, as he is of Maya Yucatec descend. Although their dialects differ (and my husband doesn’t speak Yucatec Mayan, just knows a few phrases and words), there are cultural ties that made this place feel like home for him. The huge window in our room also looked right into the lake, with the tall volcanoes on the other side of the lake. Waking up to this beautiful view was extraordinary. From here we also visited the slightly larger and certainly busier town of Panajachel, where you can walk a couple of miles through their open market and buy all sorts of knickknacks and delicious traditional foods. Our visit to Panajachel was met with a torrential rain that lasted for over an hour, and trapped us at a snacks and beer cart on the boardwalk by the side of the lake.

The view of Lake Atitlán from our hotel room in Santa Catalina Polopó.

An unforgettable experience driving to Santa Catarina from Guatemala City happened as we traversed all the roads with huge mountains on one side and cliffs covered in coffee trees on the other. I am very used to driving through roads like this, as it is very similar to where I grew up. Unfortunately for my husband, this is not what he is accustomed to and he was terrified. At some point, we came to a river — or what would be considered a large creek in the USA — and there was a signed telling drivers to be careful, as the bridge had fallen and cars must cross the river. My husband looked at me terrified and ask, “what are we going to do now?” To which I responded: “We drive through the river!” And off we go! Again, this was not the first time I had driven through a river, and it was just a great and unforgettable experience for us both.

On our way back, we took a slightly different road — although we had to cross the river again — in order to visit the archeological ruins of Iximche. As I drove by, we came to an unfinished road with a gate and a tiny space open on the side. The GPS said that was the route, so we were a bit lost and curious on how the heck we were going to get to the ruins through here. We first asked a kid who walked by and he said the keys to the gate was kept at a neighbor’s house and we should walk there to ask them to open for us. Still perplexed on how we were going to continue our journey, we suddenly saw a small passenger bus drive through the small opening on the side of the gate. I wasn’t sure if this was private property, so I didn’t know if we could go through. But we saw a woman carrying some wood and her kids walking towards our side of the gate and asked her about the route to Iximche. She confirmed we were on the right path, and that everyone has to cross through the small opening next to the gate. We did… and about 30 minutes later, we were at the archeological ruins.

I highly recommend visiting places like this archeological site. The place is a beautiful park for everyone. There is a little museum where you can learn about the Maya culture and the history of the place. Besides, this is so out of the tourists’ path, that you will find yourself as the only non Guatemalans there. It was wonderful!

The bounty you can find at the central market in Guatemala City.

From here we went to Antigua and after a few days at the city, we headed to Guatemala City. Guatemala City is, like most Latin American capitals, a city of contrasts. There are the rich suburbs with the people who, belonging to the place, do not feel like they are from there but want to control the lives of those who are. The poor areas where people survive in whichever way they can. The modern areas where poor and rich mingle; some selling stuff and other buying stuff. There is the central market, where you can see the largest carrots ever grown by human — well, at least in my view — and the most beautiful, organic fruits and vegetables you can imagine. You also can also see the beautiful and creative folk art, clothes, and shoes. This was the second time I visited Guatemala City, and can say that I really like this place.

There is one thing about Guatemala for which I highly admire the country and its people. While most of Latin América continues to produce coffee for the international market while falling prey of the Nescafé ruse to strip us from quality coffee and replacing it with the chemical concoctions that are instant coffees, Guatemala has hold on to their real coffee. As one of the staff told me husband when he asked about instant or at least decaf coffee at the hotel in Santa Catarina Polopó: “Here, throughout the country, we only serve quality coffee. You will not find anything of low quality like decaf let along instant coffee anywhere on these lands.” As the proud son of a former coffee farmer, that makes Guatemala one of my favorite places to visit.

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October 1, 2023 · 3:34 pm

The Next Destination This Hispanic Heritage Month: Panamá!

As I continue inviting you to explore the places I have visited in our beloved and beautiful Latin America this Hispanic Heritage Month, I want to bring you with me to Panamá.

A view of Panamá City from the isthmus. The contrast of modernization with tradition is everywhere in the city.

It is possible that the only thing you know about Panamá is the canal. The Panamá Canal crosses the country north to south, opening a waterway for large container ships to cross from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. The Panamá Canal is quite significant for various reasons. First, because ships no longer have to do the difficult navigation around the southernmost point in the continent through Tierra del Fuego, to reach the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic. Second, because it helped in cutting Panamá from Colombia, from which it was a department prior to its independence. Third, because the canal was USA territory until 1999, and thus, is another palpable reminder of the way in which the United States have had an overarching presence in Latin American affairs. Finally, the canal is also the big scar that divides the American continent, physically cutting the north and south parts of the large landmass that is América.

I have only visited Panamá once. My mentor, friend, and second mother, whom I met while she was a professor at the university I attended, lives there. Her ties to Panamá are strong. When she attended the same school she eventually taught at, she met the father of her sons, who was at the time, an international student from Panamá. Her sons were born there, and currently, her surviving son’s children live there. It makes sense for her, already retired, to live near her grandchildren and son.

A while ago, I decided I wanted to visit her. It had been quite some time since the last time I had seen her, and I felt it was right for me to visit as she had already traveled to visit me while I lived in NYC and she was in Pennsylvania. I also wanted to meet her son, as I consider her a second mother and it would’ve been great to meet my quasi-brother. Up until that time, Panamá had been a layover stop on my way to other Latin American countries. In fact, I had never stepped out of the Tocumén International Airport in Panamá City before. Thus, I didn’t have any expectations from the country, other than meeting my mentor and friend.

The Panamá Canal is the link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

What I discovered was way more than a beautiful Latin American country! I discovered a country with a complex history, wonderful people, delicious cuisine, and an accent that was so close to my own that I always felt at home.

My friend is a lesbian activist, and as such, I had the chance to connect with the LGBTQ community in Panamá and experience the country through their eyes.

The most significant experience I had in the country, was a visit to the Kuna or Guna people. The Guna are one of the surviving indigenous peoples who the colonizers were not able to erase. Like many other indigenous cultures from around the world, the Guna do not have a strictly binary gender system. In the Guna communities there is a third sex, the “Wigudum”, who play an important role in their societies.

When I visited with the Guna, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet some Wigudum people. Some of them were concerned because, although they had been accepted by the majority of their communities, US-backed Evangelical churches were growing in their communities. This meant that US puritanical and hypocritical mores were being spread throughout their communities, including the marginalization and demonization of the Wigudum. Moreover, the hypocritical aspect of the US puritanical moral code was using Wigudum young people as sex objects in private while rejecting their humanity from the pulpit. At the time, I was serving in parish ministry, and although the church I served is a very progressive congregation, I couldn’t get the guilt off of me. Modern, US Evangelical Christianity is annihilating a culture that survived millennia of colonization.

Still, visiting with the Guna was the most beautiful part of my visit to Panamá. They did not perform for me as a tourist. They did not put on a show to entertain me. I didn’t act as if I knew more than them about their country, their culture, or their struggle. I visited with humility and an open mind, hoping the learn from and with them, even if for just a few hours. I highly recommend connecting with indigenous communities, if possible, when visiting any Latin American country in which there are indigenous communities. Visiting with them will offer a better understanding of their culture, their history, their current realities, and the damage that colonization continues to do.

Sharing with Guna people was the highlight of my visit to Panamá.

Of course, I had the chance to visit the Panamá Canal. It is an impressive view. Watching the huge vessels travel through this intricate piece of engineering is really a sight. It is also an interesting experience to visit the canal zone. The canal was transferred back to Panamá as it was always intended, in 1999. Since then, Panamanians have moved to the zone, while some service members from the USA have also stayed. It is an interesting reality worth witnessing.

The final place I would suggest visiting in Panamá — of the places I visited, because I cannot speak for the whole country — is the old town. Contrary to other old towns throughout Latin America, Panamá’s is small and not well maintained. The structures are crumbling, and they reminded me more of Havana than San Juan. The ruins of the old city are also nearby and they are an interesting place to visit to learn more about Panamá’s development. I am not sure about the rest of the country, but Panamá City is a sprawling experiment on US capitalist development. Huge skyscrapers are being built everyday. Hundreds of housing units unreachable for locals are being sold to international investors with no intentions to help the people of the country. However, since infrastructure is still lacking, water barely reaches the units beyond the third floor, and power outages are very common.

Visiting Panamá was a great experience for me. It showed me both sides of Latin America: the side still connected to our ancestors, cultures, and traditions, and the side that is the unsuspected victim of globalization and US imperialism. As a Puerto Rican, it was a great way to know that my people, my Island, are not alone in suffering the impact of invasive US imperialist policies. As the late Panamanian poet Dimas Lidio Pitty once wrote:

Panamá, my beloved land

wounded by the many pains

tomorrow, without invaders

an Eden under the sun you shall be.

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September 19, 2023 · 10:48 pm

Cuba – Our Next Stop On Hispanic Heritage Month

Today I continue my Hispanic Heritage Month project of sharing some highlights of the Latin American countries I have visited, by sharing about one of my favorite countries: Cuba.

Puerto Rican poet and revolutionary patriot, Lola Rodríguez de Tió, once wrote a poem which has the following lines:

Cuba y Puerto Rico son | Cuba and Puerto Rico are
de un pájaro las dos alas, | of the same bird, it’s two wings
reciben flores o balas | they get flowers or bullets
sobre el mismo corazón… | over the same heart…

Rodríguez de Tió captured this way the closeness between the histories of her — and my — native Puerto Rico, and our beloved sibling, Cuba. Indeed, the history of the two islands is closely related. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why I always felt attracted by Cuba. Since I was a kid, I wanted to visit our sister island. I had the first chance to visit as part of a religious delegation to work with local churches. Since then, I have visited Cuba a few times in different capacities. Always learning more, and always exploring more places. Havana, Matanzas, Santa Clara, Holguín, Bayamo, and Santiago de Cuba, are some of the most recognized places I have visited in Cuba. I have also been to small towns and communities that are not as recognized, and visited places that are either off limit to tourists or that are not as well known outside of local circles.

Once I finally visited Cuba I understood how close my country and Cuba really are. The people, the food, the colonial architecture, the popular sayings… there is so much in common! No wonder Cubans have been migrating to Puerto Rico for centuries, even before the Revolution. Moreover, the accent of eastern Cuba is quite similar to the mountain accent of Puerto Rico — which is my natural accent.

I have loved every inch of Cuba that I have visited. But continuing with the goal of sharing just a few highlights of my favorite places, I will focus on the places I have enjoyed visiting the most.

Havana is a place that every Latin person should visit at least once in their lifetimes. The city is filled with the resiliency of the people who live in this beautiful island. Walking through the streets of this Caribbean metropolis is stepping into a piece of history of our beloved Latin America. Each building is the still life of a time that is no more. As the rest of the continent moved forward after 1960, Havana stayed there,

frozen in time. The structures, like the people, have witnessed all types of change with bravado and resiliency. Some buildings, like some people, have given in to neglect. The old cars carry the dreams and hopes of a community that desperately claims for some respite. Everyone has someone to blame: the Revolution, the system, the murderous USA blockade, etc. The truths is, as always, more complexed than what we want it to be. This is also reflected in life in Cuba. All these feelings can only be understood if you really listened to the people… both what they tell you publicly, and what they imply subtly through their words. Havana is the place where you will feel this the most.

Walking along the Malecón, you will experience the reality of Cubans. People pacing back and forth. Some looking for their friends. Others just wanting to escape for a few hours from their homes, work, or any other responsibilities by enjoying the sound of the waves and the music coming from all around. Others walk around hoping to fall madly in love with the person who will finally offer them the ticket to liberty. While others, just walk around hoping for a client with whom they can escape their reality if only for a few hours, while also making a buck to bring food back to their families. Havana is a city of raw emotions and complexity.

Santa Clara is the city with which I really fell in love. This city is filled with art, and music, and innovation. Wherever you turn, there is another new experience to have. The pace of the city is slower, calmer, more reflective than in the big city of Havana. It was in Santa Clara where I first experience the inventiveness of the Cuban people. It was here where I fell in love with the art of a local artist who is now famous and lifting Cuba’s artistic heritage up around the world. Santa Clara is one of my happy places, and I can’t wait to visit again.

Matanzas is the city that reconnected me to my Yoruba ancestors. It was the place where I came face to face with the Orishas, who called me back home to their protection. Matanzas was also the place where I learned of the potential that Cuban theologians have to really transform the face of Christianity should the blockade wasn’t there. Their voices are clear, filled with wisdom rooted in their realities, and centered in love, affirmation, and empowerment. Perhaps I wouldn’t have left the church had I studied with these theologians instead of where I went. It was also in Matanzas where I felt for the first time the “summer love” feelings so ubiquitous of teen romance movies. Matanzas keeps one of my most beautiful memories of deep connections with one of the most fascinating human beings I have ever met and whom I will always love.

Finally, Santiago de Cuba is a place that will always be in my heart. Not only does the city and I share a name, but there is much more we share. The eastern provinces have a similar accent to the Puerto Rican accent. It is here where I can visit any place and be welcomed as one of their own. In Santiago, I am just the other wing of that same bird. In Santiago, I am no longer just Puerto Rican, I am Cuban too. It is from Santiago de Cuba where the Bacardí family hailed. They moved to Puerto Rico where they finally established their rum business. Funnily, I have been three times to Santiago and have yet to visit the Museum Bacardí. Each time I visit, the museum is closed for one reason or another. An inconvenience for me. The reality of a tired system for them. Santiago has the fortresses that remind me of home. It is the place where I can eat like a local, in local establishments not for tourists, pay with Cuban pesos instead of the currency for foreigners, the place where I can visit any museum without even having the show a national identity card because they take for granted that I belong there. If there was a city I can call my second hometown, it would be Santiago de Cuba.

There are, of course, many other beautiful places to visit in Cuba. Throughout my years traveling there and nurturing friendships in the island, I have visited the beach town of Guardalavaca, the Bellamar Caves, the Martin Luther King Jr Center, and so many other wonderful, hidden gems. Cuba really is the Pearl of the Caribbean.

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September 17, 2023 · 9:57 pm

Traveling Throughout Latin American This Hispanic Heritage Month – Venezuela

I want to continue taking you on a journey with me throughout my beautiful Latin America. Of course, I can only share the experiences of the places I have traveled, which is what I am doing with this series of publications. Today, I want to take you on a journey to the second Latin American country I visited: Venezuela.

I visited Venezuela for the first time in 1997, right after my trip to Nicaragua. In fact, my little group — three young women and I, all from the same religious group from college — flew from Nicaragua, through Panamá, to Venezuela. There we met with a larger group from the same religious organization from college. However, while we were in Nicaragua, there were general strikes in the country. The public transportation sector had joined the students in strike as prices were going to be raised in the public universities in the country. This meant that the ferries from Ometepe to the mainland were suspended.

Moreover, during this time, there was also an earthquake in Venezuela that devastated parts of the country. This was our first trip to Venezuela and we had no idea where the earthquake happened and whether it was close to where we were supposed to stay.

Thankfully, we were able to clear everything up and were able to travel to Venezuela after all. This was the first of many trips I took to Venezuela. I have visited before, during, and after the Chávez presidency. I have seen the country transform in many ways. Here, I will not take share about those transformations, as I believe this is a delicate topic that should never be entered into without first engaging the brilliant minds of Venezuelans who support, oppose, and are ambivalent about the political reality of their country. I would do a disservice to my Venezuelan siblings by focusing on my political opinions instead of highlighting the beauty of their motherland.

Stairs enveloped in mist as you continue the journey up once you get to the top of Cerro Avila in Caracas.

The first time I visited Venezuela, I stayed in the home of the local pastor whose church we were working with. His house was on a very scary cliff, in the town of El Junquito. He was a dentist, and made good money through his job. His service to the local church in an impoverished neighborhood of Caracas was part-time. He used his skills as a dentist to provide free service to the community too, and the church had a dental clinic for the people in the community.

El Junquito wasn’t particularly interesting to me. But Caracas was! The city is a huge sprawl in a valley and extends to the foot of the mountains around it. As you come up from the Maiquetía Airport, you can see the haphazardly built structures covering miles and miles of mountain slopes. At night, the lights look beautiful. During the day, it looks impressive and dangerous. In the neighborhood where we were working, the passages and narrow paths crisscrossing the slopes from house to house, some built one on top of another, were a maze we did not dare to walk through. This in itself was a beautiful sight. It was beautiful because you could feel how much the community cared for each other, as they helped each other navigate this network of paths that were so confusing that outsiders were warned not to venture in. The Caracas that I experienced that first time, and the second, and third time I visited, was a city of drastic contrasts. It was a city filled with cars, motorcycles, public buses, and a pretty impressive urban metro system. It was a cosmopolitan city filled with culture and arts. It was a city filled with the delicious aromas of national and international cuisines.

A view of Caracas from Cerro Avila.

Caracas is my favorite place in Venezuela. Contrary to many Latin American cities, Caracas doesn’t have a very defined and preserved “old town.” You walked through history and modernity all the same time. As you step out of the old Roman Catholic Cathedral in the center of the city, there are modern buildings and shopping malls all over the perimeter. This contrast was new to me, and I enjoyed it very much.

In Caracas is also where you can find Cerro Avila. The impressive mountain on the side of the city is reachable through a cable car. The first few times I rode this cable car, I had no worries. However, the last time I visited Caracas, I guess my age showed, as I was scared to death to go up! I positioned myself in the center of the car and curled up in the fetal position until we reached the top of the mountain to the amusement of my sister and my friend who were serving as our tour guide. But once on the top, you get to see the city through the fog.

Another place that is magical in Venezuela is Colonia Tovar in the state of Aragua. I have visited this place a couple of times. This town up in the mountains is the result of German immigrants arriving in Venezuela over a hundred years ago. The climate on the mountain was reminiscent of the climate in their home towns. They produce some of the sweetest and biggest strawberries I have ever had! It is worth visiting the colony and enjoying a day or two trying all of their traditional German dishes and strawberry creations.

Valencia and Maracaibo are the other two places I have spent time in. Although I didn’t get to explore much in Valencia, it was a family visit and we got to enjoy some good time with my aunt and her husband’s extended family who lives there. Having some street food late at night was probably one of the greatest experiences in Valencia. Maracaibo, on the other hand, was also a magical place. Every morning, I would wake up early and walk to the nearby bakery to buy freshly baked bread for the group with which I was. The team there made a delicious strawberry jam (I get to see the thread here!) Eating that freshly baked bread was heaven!

The views of the houses on the cliffs as you drive up from the Maiquetía airport to Caracas.

Venezuela has my heart because of many other, more personal experiences I had while traveling and shortly living there in my youth. Although it’s been a few years since my last visit, I do hope to return someday. I want to continue eating the delicious street foods, especially, the arepas reina pepiada (my favorite), and their empanadas — there’s a story about empanadas and a visit to Simón Bolívar’s hacienda from which I will spare you this time. Venezuela is a beautiful country, with wonderful people, and way to much to discover in just a few days over a decade of visiting it. I know in my heart that I will visit more places and get to see the Salto del Angel with my own eyes someday. Until then, I live with the wonderful memories of many, many months spent exploring the streets of Caracas, and the memory of the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread in Maracaibo.

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November 24, 2014 · 12:21 pm

Obama’s Weak and Timid Immigration (In)Action

On November 20th, President Obama announced executive actions regarding immigration. The provision has been called “the right thing to do”, “timely” and even “bold” by individuals and organizations that portray themselves a progressive. The reality, however, is different. The recent executive action is not even close to the comprehensive reform that is sorely needed by the immigrant communities in the United States. Certainly is not timely, as the President had the chance to act on comprehensive reform when he promised, immediately after his reelection in 2012. Finally, the recent executive action is far from being bold; the action is timid and weak.

According to some experts, about 5 million immigrants will benefit from the executive action. The program has five main focus areas: expansion of the previous Deferred Action Program (DACA) for DREAMERS, allow parents of US citizens to stay in the country for up to three years without fear of deportation, expanding the waiver program that was already in place for unlawful residents, modernizing and clarifying immigrant programs, and promoting citizenship education. Of these areas, two are the most contentious: the expand of the Deferred Action and allowing parents of US citizens to stay in the country for up to three years with a provisional work permit.ImmigrationReformPassedinSenate062813

These actions, while might look like a dim light at the end of a very dark tunnel, need to be taken very seriously and with a grain of salt. Why? These programs are creating large, federal databases with enough information on undocumented residents which can be easily accessed by future administrations that might not be fond of immigrants. Currently, and up to the Election Day on 2016, there is a 50/50 chance of a Republican takeover of the White House. If the Republican candidate runs on the same platform that the party has espoused so far, this means that 5 million undocumented residents will be at the will of a hostile president who might take action in deporting them. We must remember that Obama’s executive action has a three year lifespan. This is well into the administration of the next US President, whoever that person might be.

Moreover, the executive action affects less than half of the total undocumented immigrant community. During a conversation with my spouse, who has lived in the USA without documentation for the past 11 years, we wondered what was going to happen to most of our family. Would they be able to apply for the executive action? What about our friends? The answers were not what we needed or wanted to hear. Only one member of our family, whose son is a US citizen, will qualify for this executive action. Others, such as an uncle who has lived in this country, paid local and federal taxes, worked and invest in the local economy for the past 12 years, would not be able to qualify for the mere reason of not having any children born in the USA. In addition, our friends who are gay or lesbian, who have no children and many of whom never thought of having children, but who have lived in the USA for most of their lives, will not qualify for Obama’s executive action. How can such an action be called “bold”?

Indeed, Obama’s executive action on immigration is weak, timid, and comes with too many risks for the undocumented community. It will be extremely important for undocumented residents to explore what options are best for them. Three years of a temporary work permit, with the possibility of deportation at the end of that time, might not be the wisest movement for many undocumented residents.

There is one thing, however, that has been made clear throughout this process: Obama and his advisors are good politicians. He decided not to push for comprehensive immigration reform before the mid-term elections, thinking that this would give them advantage with the conservative-leaning undecided voters. Somehow, he and the Democrats took for granted the support of minority voters. That, as we have already seen, backfired. By presenting this weak and timid executive action, he hopes to get back the support of the left-leaning voters while at the same time look like a “champion” of the immigrant communities. Of course, the Republican Congress is going to do everything in their power to minimize the effects of this executive order, which will make them look like “the bad guys”, which is exactly what Obama and his party needed to win the next general election. Basically, Obama and the Democrats are using the immigrant community as a weapon in their dirty political game.

Add to this what I have already experienced: the resistance of the – mostly white – liberal voters to acknowledge that Messiah Obama cannot do anything wrong. I have already received messages from friends and acquaintances that ask me to stop criticizing the President’s actions lest the “right” use that as a weapon against all the other positive things that President Obama has accomplished.

But I cannot keep silent. My role in a semi-democratic society like ours is to raise my voice when I see unjust actions that affect those who have no voice within the political structures. The role of any citizen is to keep their government checked lest it lose sight of its responsibility: to look after the wellbeing of all of the people. Just because President Obama has accomplished many great things during his tenure does not mean that I need to stay silent when he does wrong. On the contrary, it is my civil responsibility to call on the government officials who represent me to act according to what is the wellbeing of all my fellow citizens.

Finally, with the reaction I have seen from the – mostly non-immigrant, and mostly white – liberal community, it is my fear that pressure on the Obama administration to proceed with comprehensive immigration reform might wane. It seems to me like the progressive voice has, once again, fall trapped of the “Obama charisma and speech” and is willing to compromise the lives of the other 6+ million undocumented residents who will not qualify for this executive action. If the progressive voice is not heard anymore, neither Democrats nor Republicans will feel the need to move boldly on immigration reform. We have already seen how every progressive voice has been praising Obama for his weak and timid action, calling it “bold” when in reality is not even close to be so. I do not want to be the kind of citizen that serves as a rubberstamp for the political leaders I do support. What I want to be is a responsible citizen who is willing to criticize the wrong actions of any political leader, even if I agree with them in most of the policies that they support.

Mr. President, we need you to take BOLD action on immigration reform. Mr. President, we need you to ACT on immigration reform and not just use our immigrant communities as political weapons. Mr. President, we need you to BE A LEADER and not just a politician. The lives of over 11 million people who live and contribute to this country depend on you.

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