I´m writing from a friend´s house. The friend is one of the coordinators from Ruge. She invited me to spend the night at her place. We had a small adventure coming here: the car died on the road. Some guys pushed the car so that we could continue our journey but the car died again. Another teacher from Ruge (who was getting a ride with Mayra, our favorite coordinator), Andrea, and I got out and tried to push the car. It did not move an inch. Actually I don´t know how that is possible, I think Mayra must have forgotten the handbrake on or somehting. Anyways, the car started and we continued the journey...until the car died again. Some kids who were selling roses in the street helped us by pushing the car, but it would not start. The kids pushed the car aside and when the engine finally started we drove to a gas station and waited for Mayra´s husband to come and help us out. He arrived, fixed to the car, and we drove to Mayra´s place. I guess it might have been kind of dangerous to get stuck in a "bad" neghborhood. Fortunately all went well.

Talking about danger on the roads, there is a special regulation here for easter. From today on until the end of easter you can buy alcohol in the stores only between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. I guess there is a lot of traffic during easter, and since people here drink and drive, the roads tend to get a bit dangerous. Therefore the regulation.

I still have no idea what I´m going to do for easter. I mean, sure, I have my plans but I´m trying to prepare for the dissappointment that I might not be going to Cumana after all. Plan A) Cumana, plan B) Punto Fijo plan C) Camping near a waterfall with guys from Aiesec,and plan D) staying in Maracaibo and relaxing. Punto Fijo is a new thing: About a week ago I sent a card to Maria Morales, a Venezuelan girl who was in the US as an AFS exchange student...9 years ago with me. Well, I have her address from 9 years ago and sent her a card last week - when I finally found a post office (or more truthfully speaking, when my friends where kind enough to take me to one). It turned out that she was not living in that address anymore (surprise surprise) but her mom was, and called her and told her that I sent a card. So on Tuesday Maria called me and we´re going to try to meet. She will be in Punto Fijo for easter so I that´s where I´ll go as well, if Cumana doesn't work out. Punto Fijo is a five hour busride away from Mcbo (Cumana 15 hour busride) so it should be easier to get there than to Cumana.

Just one more thing: forget what I said earlier about not feeling that I am
living in a thrid world country. On Monday Kasia and I went to the bus station (first time I went "downtown" without Venezuelan company) and I felt uncomfortable. I don´t really know why, cause I´ve been to the bus station before and felt more or less normal. I think it was the fact that I was with Kasia and somehow I noticed that the two of us were "the odd ones". Then, on Wednesday, our Spanish teacher, Alejandra, and her husband, took us on a guided tour of the center. They could not have made the tour easier or more pleasant for us, but still I felt that I will never ever be able to fit in. No matter how I dress or speak, people will always see me as a foreigner. Sometimes it is an undeniable advantage but at times I get tired of it. For example, once a taxidriver told me, when I asked how much the fare is, "ten million dollares". I corrected him: No, you have to say ten million euros, cause I´m not from the states. In the supermarket a worked said to me this week when I was paying: "American express", implying (as far as I could understand) that I have an American credit card, in other words that I am rich.

But the fact of the matter is that I have a nice life in Mcbo despite all the difficulties and I like it here. I think this is the first time in many years when I am not planning my next trip. I am happy here.

Aiesec Maracaibo (the organization I came here with) is recruiting. They are having presentations and handing out fliers in the universities and hoping that lots of new and enthusiastic people would join. Or...actually I guess that they don´t want loads of new people instead they want a few "highquality members" who will be motivated and prepared to work. This morning I assisted at one of the presentations. The presentation started at 9.30 and I had to work at 10 so I had to give my contribution (hello, i am Elina from FIN) at the very beginning. It´s not like there were a lot of people there but I think this was the first time I had to speak Spanish in front of a group of strangers. I staggered a bit but I managed to say that my name is Elina, that I come from FInland, that I work at Idiomas Ruge and that everybody should join Aiesec. I think that´s pretty muhc what they wanted me to do. Anyways, I think already the fact that I was there, with my blod hair, buke eyes and foriegn accent was enough to demonstrate internationality and that Aiesec really does function.

I am still saving money for Cumana. One day I remembered that some of my foreign friends in germany saved money eating poatoes. They tried to come up with as many different ways as possible how to prepare potatoes. Potatoes are a nice change to pasta (which I have eaten for 8 months now) and I am pretty excited about my new discovery. And I know that potatoes are muuuuch more nutritious - my new healty life has begun. The down part is that here there are worms in the potatoes. I don´t know why Finnish potatoes don´t have worms. I like to think that maybe here the farming is more organic and therefore the potatoes also have worms. Go figure.

5 min internet time

I have no money to check my mails daily or write this blog regurarly. Sucks. For now I am saving money to go to Cumana (eastern Venezuela) for easter. My room mate is from Cumana and she has invited Kasia and me to spend the holidays with her family. Throughout my stay here I have used my Finnish account, withdrewn money to travel etc. In February the card to my FIN account expired so I have my traineeshipsalary to live on...or survive on I should say cause it really is not enough to live comfortably, let alone travel.

These days I am trying to figure out what I´ll do when this traineeship is over. I want to do one more year of studies (in order to be a qualified - by Finnish standards - teacher) and need to save some money for that. Which means that I have to work in Europe for at least 6 months, cause there is no point saving bolivares (the local currency). I guess I might go to Finland for one month in July and then return here in order to spend a few more months with José, but I don´t know...I don´t know I don´t know. Any piece of advice you can give is more than welcome.

love you, miss you, want to talk to you, and see you soon!

I have a new mobile! I bought the cheapest possible in the shop nearest my house. So now I can send sms/textmessags again.

So what has happened since the trip to Coro...

Kasia, José and I passed the level basico 2 in salsa and this Saturday we are going to begin leve basico 3. Kasia and I got 9/10 on the level test because we lack...how was it called...corporal expresseion, or something. Kasia is really angry about that. She says the discounted one point cause we are "katiras" (=blondes). I don´t care, I´m, just glad I passed the test, I was sure I´d fail. We´ve been learning all these new moves and I am so extremely lost most of the time. But dancing is still fun and the group really encouraging.