Chavez No More

I have decided to come back and write something after many months of not writing about Venezuela. One apparent reason for not doing so is because I am not living in Venezuela anymore. But I think when the time permits I will come back and pen something.

When I heard about Chavez's death, I actually doubted it as it has been rumored a couple of times before that he was dead. But after checking online and going to Wikipedia, it became obvious that the man who was leading the country at the time I was living in Venezuela was no more.

Any emotions? I am not sure. I mean I don't know how I really felt about Chavez. I know that is a lot of bull but when I look back I sometimes fail to see the image I want to portray in relation to how I felt about the man.

On one hand, he was advocating something which was good; something that my country used when we got our independence. Socialism, living together like brothers and being connected; at least that is what it means on the superficial level. And probably its most important pillar to me. But living in Venezuela I experienced a country which was divided between the rich and the poor. I experienced the anxiety that comes with the fear of being robbed while walking on the street or something bad happening to you. That is the life of many of the Venezuelans. I also felt and still feel that Chavez didn't do much to address that issue. The jails were not jails but strongholds of very feared gangs that would erupt in violence when they chose to do so, sending many to hospitals. In terms of security, I was not impressed by the pathway he was taking.

He had speeches that went on for hours. He would never stop; a clear feature of many of the socialist regimes, ask Argentinians.

But he really struggled and succeeded to support the poor. He was the first President and many would agree, both poor and rich that he was the first to look at the poor as his brothers. And he really mounted many programs to help them, using as much of the revenue from the vast oil resources to help them and advance the socialism ideals in South America.

I happened to live in both parts of the differing opinions. The rich who hated him really did so with passion. He took away private enterprises or made them hard to function because he believed they were imperialistic.

And we all know how he felt about the US.

But now the answer is what is going to happen to the country. Will things become better or deteriorate even further? Will his ideals prevail behind his supporters in the period where his charisma will never be matched by anyone from his team? These are tough questions and we will have to wait and see.

But having said all this, I am happy to have lived in Venezuela under his leadership and experience what I did. It was a brilliant opportunity and I think I came out strong and knowledgeable, critical and understanding of many things. I know many people ask me why I went to Venezuela among all countries. I never regretted my decision and I never will. It was a dream come true and regardless of how I feel or we feel about Chavez, may he rest in peace.