• Common Ground •

Venezuela?

Well, another travel odyssey comes to a peaceful end and never a dull moment. Why write about Venezuela in the Common Ground section of the newsletter? I keep thinking that we as a people, a species, a community need to find the commonality among us to survive. WE all need to eat. There is abundant evidence in Venezuela that points to an Americanization or as one friend put it, "the Coca-Colinization" of the world.
Exporting Corporate Culture

It is really disturbing to me to travel and find in every country that I have been to a McDonalds; generally in a prominant location. In my opinion it is a blight. I didn't want to give them any exposure but the Pepsi building and the Nescafe building do just as well.

Can they afford it?
It's very clear that these folks are not benefiting from the 'economic prosperity' that corporate globalization promised. There are lots of slogans on the walls of buildings and other walls that salute the revolutionary mantra of many Venezuelans. Our Cuban guitarest explained that the sentiment and language is similar and even identical in some cases with that graffitti found in Cuba. Hmmmm?

The people we met were very solicitous of our needs and consistently very polite. A different pace of life accompanied the experience and it was very obvious that we who represented a special event as guests caused waiters and other service folks to scurry. Even so, a number of the fellows in the band remarked at how slow the service was; Rush redefined to be sure!!

'Were not in Kansas anymore'

There is a very distinct and sharp contrast among the more well educated and affluent and the poorer folks. There is also a great deal of personal pride evident in peoples' deportment and at times the evidece of this was somewhat jarring.

Here is the view from my hotel room in Maracay. This is a more rural city much like Newton NJ in size and character as relates to the people and types of business and scale of buildings, stores, and etc.

It certainly was a beautiful trip! The travel odyssey part will have to wait until I have a chance to tell you in person. There's no place like home!

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