Newsletter from Venezuela 3 - sugar and spice
Hi dear friends and family!
What a week!
So many things to learn, so much patience required, more than that, we need smart eyes, very opened eyes to look and find and try to be happy even when we do not find what you were expecting!
This week we had good news, good laughs, and in the end of the week a back to back up and downs! That's human nature, sometimes we are happy, sometimes sad, all the time trying to find a way to somewhere or to anywhere, just hanging there, hanging here!
So, are you ready to live in a few minutes what we lived this week? Here we go!
Me and the kids went to the grocery store last Tuesday, like always we asked for a cab with seat belts!!! When the taxi arrived we were trying to find the seat belts and then I told to the driver:" I asked for a cab with seat belts"! He answered:" I thought I had it but no, I don't have anymore!" and then I said, " sorry but we can't go, we have to wear seat belts", he said:" nobody will know that you didn't have seat belts" I answered:" well I will know and I don't lie" ! " Sorry but we can't go!"
Anyways,..... I couldn't believe he said that nobody will know! I was so disappointed,.... the human being is losing important values, human being is lost in so many ways, how can a 30 bolivares can be much more valuable than lives? How can 30 bolivares can make you lie, twice!!!???? What kind of values a person shows just to earn sadly 30 bolivares? So, can we conclude that in a simple life situation people can put important values besides, imagine in huge and complicated situation? Sometimes human beings became so poor in their choices!!!!!!!!
So, the taxi driver called for another Taxi, this time with seat belts, but with the same poor attitude! Instead of charge me 30 bolivares, he charged me 50!!!! I didn't lost 20 bolivares, he lost a client and became poor! Like I always says its not about money, it's about attitude!
Arriving at the grocery store, Oliver told me:" let's go to the milk section now!" He is a big milk drinker, and he is having a hard time with Venezuelan milk, he used to drink organic, fresh milk and now is whatever milk! So, we did what he asked, and we found milk, we were so happy! After a while we were waiting at the line to buy mozzarella and turkey ham, and me and Victoria noticed a lady holding sugar,.... we asked her where she found the sugar, she told us the place and me and Victoria ran to find the precious sugar and we found a cart full of sugar!!!!! We begun to laugh and laugh like we had found the most amazing treasure, we couldn't stop laughing, everybody was looking at us, we took 6 packs of sugar, Victoria wanted to buy more and than I told her that we shouldn't buy more than 6 because other people will need it too, and then she agreed! Victoria was extremely happy and we begun to talk about why we were laughing so much!!!! We never had fun buying sugar before!!!!!!! Later Victoria looked around and she found eggs!!!!!!!!! One more time the laughing time begun! We did not found mozzarella but we found another cheese, but we were ok with that. We were at the bread section when Oliver found brown rice!!!!!!!!! We bought 13 packs!!!!!!!!!!!! And laugh again, of course! This was the best shopping ever!
After looking and finding, we went to the cashier, we were so happy that we found everything and then a bad news stopped our laughs and the lady told us:" you can't buy 6 packs of sugar, is just 2 per person" so, that's good, we are 3 people, so we can buy 6 packs!
What a relief! She said:" no, is 2 per adult"! What? Please, let me buy the 6 packs! She answered:" no, I can't" I insisted like I always do with all the things! That's what my mom taught me, she always said:" my daughter, open your mouth and talk" So, I insisted and I said, please, let me buy, the other times I came here I never found sugar, so it's fair that I buy more now! Please talk to your boss! And she took all the 4 packs of sugar and put aside. The kids were so sad and almost crying, but they were strong enough to hold the disappointed tears inside! I was ok with that, I had hope still. I was talking to her all the time about other things, smiling, and trying to have fun with that situation. So, suddenly she took 2 more packs of sugar and allowed me to buy and I said: Thank you so much! We finished paying and we went to hotel super happy. Arriving at the hotel, I was organizing the grocery and I found 6 packs of sugar!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes! 6 packs of sugar!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were so thankful, so happy, it was like a miracle!!!! Can you imagine yourself being happy and grateful because you could buy sugar????? It's a marvelous sensation!!!!!!!! Believe me!LOL!LOL!
On Tuesday the soccer game was great, we enjoyed watching our Brazil trying and trying! The kids weren't sure if they wanted cheer for Brazil, or US, or Mexico!!!!!! This happens when you have a lot of love and respect for other " hometowns"! And that is wonderful!
Oliver had his first tennis lesson with his coach! And he loved it! The coach said he has talent! Who knows!? The important thing is he was happy like he used to be! We will try have more tennis lessons during the week.
This week I had a peaceful moment,..... I was at the gym, when I saw gardeners working at the golf course, I looked at them and I saw human beings not so happy not so hopeful and then I talked to God about being here and I looked to the gardeners again and I felt a deep love for the Venezuelan people, and for one moment I was really grateful for being here and for having so many challenges, for learning how to respect and love the people, and I felt in peace, I was thinking how blessed I was to know places, to know people, to learn , how blessed I'm because I have no borders in my life, I can go, I can leave, I have opportunities, .... and I though to myself,..... I can't complain!
This was my only peaceful moment that I had since we got here!
Another wonderful moment I had was with Victoria! We decided to jogging, we left Oliver with a friend and we went jogging. The rain was our companion and was great. This was extremely nice. Victoria was so happy, I was so happy for that moment, jogging with my princess under the drops of the rain, running as that moment was a gift from God, and we were so thankful, I talked to God again and the only thing I could said was :" thank you"!
On Friday we went to a party at 7:30. Proudly to say that we were on time! We learned that in USA!!! Most of the people arrived after 9 pm!!!!!! We were the first family to leave the party and everybody was surprised! Probably the party finished at 1 or 2 am!!!!!!!!! I don't know! But was very nice, very peaceful!
So far that was our week, with a lot of sugar, a few spices, but in the end the sweet was greater than the spice in so many ways. Today in the way back from church to our hotel, I was talking to God and asking him what I need to do here and 3 things came to my mind. Two words that I heard at church today: the first was at the children story " be humble", the other one was in the beginning of the sermon " be grateful in all times" and I saw a young women smiling with love and that touched me a lot. Sometimes I'm not humble, sometimes I'm not deeply grateful and sometimes I can't smile. And now I know what I have to do here: be humble, be grateful and smile, do all of this all the times. Probably much more tasks will come and I know with God's help we will accomplish all of them!
Before saying goodbye I want to share something that a very special friend told me this week: " Faith is not knowing what the future holds, but knowing who holds the future" .
With much love,
G, V, V & O.
What a week!
So many things to learn, so much patience required, more than that, we need smart eyes, very opened eyes to look and find and try to be happy even when we do not find what you were expecting!
This week we had good news, good laughs, and in the end of the week a back to back up and downs! That's human nature, sometimes we are happy, sometimes sad, all the time trying to find a way to somewhere or to anywhere, just hanging there, hanging here!
So, are you ready to live in a few minutes what we lived this week? Here we go!
Me and the kids went to the grocery store last Tuesday, like always we asked for a cab with seat belts!!! When the taxi arrived we were trying to find the seat belts and then I told to the driver:" I asked for a cab with seat belts"! He answered:" I thought I had it but no, I don't have anymore!" and then I said, " sorry but we can't go, we have to wear seat belts", he said:" nobody will know that you didn't have seat belts" I answered:" well I will know and I don't lie" ! " Sorry but we can't go!"
Anyways,..... I couldn't believe he said that nobody will know! I was so disappointed,.... the human being is losing important values, human being is lost in so many ways, how can a 30 bolivares can be much more valuable than lives? How can 30 bolivares can make you lie, twice!!!???? What kind of values a person shows just to earn sadly 30 bolivares? So, can we conclude that in a simple life situation people can put important values besides, imagine in huge and complicated situation? Sometimes human beings became so poor in their choices!!!!!!!!
So, the taxi driver called for another Taxi, this time with seat belts, but with the same poor attitude! Instead of charge me 30 bolivares, he charged me 50!!!! I didn't lost 20 bolivares, he lost a client and became poor! Like I always says its not about money, it's about attitude!
Arriving at the grocery store, Oliver told me:" let's go to the milk section now!" He is a big milk drinker, and he is having a hard time with Venezuelan milk, he used to drink organic, fresh milk and now is whatever milk! So, we did what he asked, and we found milk, we were so happy! After a while we were waiting at the line to buy mozzarella and turkey ham, and me and Victoria noticed a lady holding sugar,.... we asked her where she found the sugar, she told us the place and me and Victoria ran to find the precious sugar and we found a cart full of sugar!!!!! We begun to laugh and laugh like we had found the most amazing treasure, we couldn't stop laughing, everybody was looking at us, we took 6 packs of sugar, Victoria wanted to buy more and than I told her that we shouldn't buy more than 6 because other people will need it too, and then she agreed! Victoria was extremely happy and we begun to talk about why we were laughing so much!!!! We never had fun buying sugar before!!!!!!! Later Victoria looked around and she found eggs!!!!!!!!! One more time the laughing time begun! We did not found mozzarella but we found another cheese, but we were ok with that. We were at the bread section when Oliver found brown rice!!!!!!!!! We bought 13 packs!!!!!!!!!!!! And laugh again, of course! This was the best shopping ever!
After looking and finding, we went to the cashier, we were so happy that we found everything and then a bad news stopped our laughs and the lady told us:" you can't buy 6 packs of sugar, is just 2 per person" so, that's good, we are 3 people, so we can buy 6 packs!
What a relief! She said:" no, is 2 per adult"! What? Please, let me buy the 6 packs! She answered:" no, I can't" I insisted like I always do with all the things! That's what my mom taught me, she always said:" my daughter, open your mouth and talk" So, I insisted and I said, please, let me buy, the other times I came here I never found sugar, so it's fair that I buy more now! Please talk to your boss! And she took all the 4 packs of sugar and put aside. The kids were so sad and almost crying, but they were strong enough to hold the disappointed tears inside! I was ok with that, I had hope still. I was talking to her all the time about other things, smiling, and trying to have fun with that situation. So, suddenly she took 2 more packs of sugar and allowed me to buy and I said: Thank you so much! We finished paying and we went to hotel super happy. Arriving at the hotel, I was organizing the grocery and I found 6 packs of sugar!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes! 6 packs of sugar!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were so thankful, so happy, it was like a miracle!!!! Can you imagine yourself being happy and grateful because you could buy sugar????? It's a marvelous sensation!!!!!!!! Believe me!LOL!LOL!
On Tuesday the soccer game was great, we enjoyed watching our Brazil trying and trying! The kids weren't sure if they wanted cheer for Brazil, or US, or Mexico!!!!!! This happens when you have a lot of love and respect for other " hometowns"! And that is wonderful!
Oliver had his first tennis lesson with his coach! And he loved it! The coach said he has talent! Who knows!? The important thing is he was happy like he used to be! We will try have more tennis lessons during the week.
This week I had a peaceful moment,..... I was at the gym, when I saw gardeners working at the golf course, I looked at them and I saw human beings not so happy not so hopeful and then I talked to God about being here and I looked to the gardeners again and I felt a deep love for the Venezuelan people, and for one moment I was really grateful for being here and for having so many challenges, for learning how to respect and love the people, and I felt in peace, I was thinking how blessed I was to know places, to know people, to learn , how blessed I'm because I have no borders in my life, I can go, I can leave, I have opportunities, .... and I though to myself,..... I can't complain!
This was my only peaceful moment that I had since we got here!
Another wonderful moment I had was with Victoria! We decided to jogging, we left Oliver with a friend and we went jogging. The rain was our companion and was great. This was extremely nice. Victoria was so happy, I was so happy for that moment, jogging with my princess under the drops of the rain, running as that moment was a gift from God, and we were so thankful, I talked to God again and the only thing I could said was :" thank you"!
On Friday we went to a party at 7:30. Proudly to say that we were on time! We learned that in USA!!! Most of the people arrived after 9 pm!!!!!! We were the first family to leave the party and everybody was surprised! Probably the party finished at 1 or 2 am!!!!!!!!! I don't know! But was very nice, very peaceful!
So far that was our week, with a lot of sugar, a few spices, but in the end the sweet was greater than the spice in so many ways. Today in the way back from church to our hotel, I was talking to God and asking him what I need to do here and 3 things came to my mind. Two words that I heard at church today: the first was at the children story " be humble", the other one was in the beginning of the sermon " be grateful in all times" and I saw a young women smiling with love and that touched me a lot. Sometimes I'm not humble, sometimes I'm not deeply grateful and sometimes I can't smile. And now I know what I have to do here: be humble, be grateful and smile, do all of this all the times. Probably much more tasks will come and I know with God's help we will accomplish all of them!
Before saying goodbye I want to share something that a very special friend told me this week: " Faith is not knowing what the future holds, but knowing who holds the future" .
With much love,
G, V, V & O.
Hello Moura Family,
ReplyDeleteI love that you started a blog! Your words and, most importantly, your positive attitude are inspiring to me. I have always lived in the U.S. and take so much for granted!!!! It is so nice to be able to see what I have through your eyes. Of course, you do have two very special treasures that I also was privileged to experience - Victoria & Oliver. I think of them often. I look forward to your next entry! Love, Ms. Naifeh