Things to do, People to meet

You do come across a lot of interesting people when you travel.

I wonder why this is. Is it the old cliche that 'gap years' and the like are reserved for the innately adventurous of spirit? Or is it maybe that the mere act of travelling forces you to be exposed to a broader circle of people than you would naturally meet at home, because you are being moved out of your comfort zone?

Anyroad, I've met a lot of interesting fellow travellers (note the pun) in Venezuela, and each has a story to tell.

For example, the 57 year old Dutchman who has come to Venezuela to be reunited with his estranged daughter. He was last here 30 years ago, just before she was born, travelling throughout South America as... a buddhist monk. Obviously, that was derailed by breaking the vows of celibacy and impending birth of daughter... but he went back to Europe and has now returned to teach English and volunteer at a Meditation/social Work kind of centre.

Or the American woman who has lived here for thirty years. Apart from the day job as a teachers she doubles as a rock singer and does covers of The Doors, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd and the like. I've been invited to her show tomorrow.

Or the Canadian former professor of Marketing from a university in Texas who apparently had a life-changing experience witnessing poverty in Estonia. He decided to come to Venezuela to set up a charitable foundation to tackle some of the problems here. I have not discussed global capitalism with him yet. He is also writing a spy novel, which he believes 'could be an international hit' and wants me to proofread it for him.

Or an English filmmaker (not a teacher this time) who lives in Venezuela because of the lifestyle which can be afforded on an irregular salary. He is around forty, spent years in London as a DJ, and is the grandson of Ernest Barker, who was a famous professor of political theory at Balliol, my old Oxford College.

There's also a 19 year old girl from London of Nigerian descent who will be studying at the Glasgow school of art, a 27 yr old Venezuelan studying philosophy who wants to do a Masters in Eastern Religion in Japan, an Englishwoman who is the wife of James Ingham, the BBC correspondant here, a Trinidadian former economics teacher, some Haitians, a Christian biochemist from Wyoming, some Venezuelan/Americans.. among others.
The longest serving international teacher has been in Valencia (sleepy mid-sized town 2 hours from here, little to do apart from play footbal and watch movies) for seven years now.
It's very possible to get stuck out here I think, particularly if you marry a Venezuelan, which some do. Also, maybe this kind of experience appeals to people who for whatever reason don't fit in that well back home.

Sorry again for the lack of updates... I'll try and keep it up a bit better.
Niall