11/16/2009

Here I am, I think I'm still alive. After this weekend I realized I need to go back to the US of A and deal with a half competent doctor. I am not well.

Friday we headed off to Puerto La Cruz, with the plans of going to the pueblo of Santa Fe the following morning. We called it a night pretty early, I bought some Christmas gifts for certain people, and I heard what I thought were gunshots. Right outside of Marshall's hotel, where I usually stay, we saw this

Apparently someone went after a person with a bottle. Knowing the amount of blood, and the lack of health care here, I'm sure someone ended up dead.

The next morning we found the bus to Santa Fe. Took about an hour to get there, and we got our hotel for 80Bs a night. Apparently last year at this time, it was 50Bs a night. He showed me around the pueblo, all the little hotels on the beach, there was even one run by a couple of young Frenchmen, who have a Cane Corso. I heavily researched this breed when I was looking to get a dog after I graduated. I guess I had a change in plans, but I loved seeing one in person, and never thought I would see one here.

Marshall and I met another young Frenchman by the name of Cyril. He was pretty cool, and I'm starting to open up to the French.



We ran into several French people on the beach, the only tourists there. I have yet to meet an American here. Even if I did, I wouldn't be as impressed as I was by the vigilance and pride of this guy.



They talked me into going into the disco that night, the first place I've been to without a single attractive Venezuelan woman. This wasn't a good idea due to my sickness, and in the morning I felt sick as ever, and this was the defining moment into me wanting to go back to the states.

Now the problem is...how do I go about doing it? I have hardly any money, and a non refundable ticket to Quito which I wish I could use.

Below are a couple of pictures that I haven't used yet.

11/13/2009

Well, I booked my tickets over Christmas break. I'm going to Quito. I was feeling slightly better with my sickness, but now I'm feeling slightly worse again. I'm tired of this, over Christmas I'm just going to take an entire week to sleep and relax.

Today is Arqui's last day at school, I'm going to miss him. He's getting ready for college in the states.

I'm tired of Venezuelan failure, I bought my tickets to Quito, and they spelled my name wrong. On top of that, they couldn't change my name either. I paid twice the cost Jason did who got his tickets one month earlier, but on the plus side, I'm flying business class for the first time in my life! I looked for flights to LA to rest, see a doctor, see my family, and maybe even go home to Salt Lake, but all were booked.

Speaking of failure, Marshall linked to me this article.

Apparently Venezuela has been the same since 1998. Well, since the Spaniards came and raped the country I guess. I'm glad someone else can see our same perspective, the third sentence down is the one really worth reading. It really cracked me up, so much failure in one place, the day it proves me wrong will be a very interesting day for me.

Going to the beach for the weekend for some R&R. Still might be able to fly to ATL for the AASSA conference which will give me a huge leg up on a job for next year.

I still have some unfinished business in the states, and need to make some phone calls. I've been in a sappy mood of late.

Hospital Visit

Some pictures Jason took from when I had to go to the hospital. I don't think I had quite as much fun in my entire life as I did this night. It was great calling the ambulance and not have it show up. +1 for Venezuela.

11/08/2009

Took all that time off and I'm still sick. Down to 2 sick days left for the year and I don't know what I'm going to do. But hey, this cheered me up. Edited by Dave Carulli, documentation of our epic skateboarding/filming road trip this summer.

11/6/2009

Still sick...

I haven't been able to update the blog much lately because I've been so sick and trying to rest. I got in contact with a doctor in Caracas, whom I'm going to see on Thanksgiving day.

Right now I'm trying to put together my resume for jobs next year, figure out what I'm going to do over Christmas break, and heal! After today, I only have 2 sick days left for the entire year. I looked at ciplec, and they have a total of 10, I only have 7. Those 3 extra days would really help in my quest for well-being.

I've tried to get a strep culture twice, the first time they wouldn't let me because I ate, the second time they were closed, and I can't take any more time off of school to get it done. I guess we'll see how it all plays out.

Yesterday we spent hours trying to figure what flights were available over Christmas, finally got one to Columbia we felt good about, it was the last one. At the end she realized she couldn't book it for some reason or another. Just another example of the incompetency here.

I have been looking at Panama, and it looks very intriguing. If I can find a one way flight to Panama City, I'd stay there, boat to Columbia, and figure it all out from there. I really hope there will be an available flight!

10/28/2009

So yeah, I should probably talk about my hospital visit.

Monday night, I felt a pain in my stomach around 6:00 pm. I've had stomach pains before, so I figured I might as well put up with it. By 9:00 it had progressed to a consistent pain unlike any I've ever experienced. I threw up, no matter what position I was in, it wouldn't go away. It felt like something was burning through my digestive system.

Come 2 A.M. I literally couldn't take it anymore. I had never been in that much pain in my entire life. I hobbled out to where the guards were, and tried to get them to call a taxi. Everything was closed, they called an ambulance, but it never showed. Luckily Jason woke up, and had a number to a different taxi service. They picked me up about 30 minutes later, and Jason was nice enough to come with me to translate.

We got to the hospital emergency room, of course it was locked. We rang the bell for about 5 minutes before someone decided to hobble over slowly to open it. Instead of doing any tests or anything important, they decided to give me a shot in my behind, and put my on an IV. The place was freezing, and it the people working were some of the most incompetent I've ever seen. Something they put in the IV helped me with the pain, and they sent me off. That's it, no help, no nothing. I am glad it is gone now though, because had it been life threatening, I would not be alive.

Jason got some pictures with his blackberry, so if he sends them to me I will have to post them up. I really appreciate the fact that he would come up on a school night at 2 a.m. to go with me to the hospital. And the next day he made me soup and picked me up some groceries, don't know what I would have done without him.

Anyways, I still have this throat problem, and I know it will never be fixed here, so...I guess I'm just screwed.

10/26/2009

I've been keeping a secret from all of you since I was about 12, or whenever Liar Liar came out. My future wife goes by the name of Maura Tierney, and is only about 21 years old than me. If Kandice can do it, so can I.