Today is the 10th anniversary of the Bolivarian Revolution. Many people have referred to the Revolution as some sort of democratic paradise. I won't waste my time on explaining those arguments here in my blog. Instead, I will tell the readers how my day was, under what circumstances did I spend as the Venezuelan citizen that I am, this day and then you can make your own conclusions. First, as I'm writing this lines, my parents are making a cacerolazo with the neighbours (a cacerolazo is a way of protest which consist on making noise by hitting "cacerolas" (saucepan) among other kitchen tools).
Second, the president, the leader, the commander in chief of the Revolution is giving a speech for several hours already to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his Revolution. All public TV Channels and radio stations are forced to broadcast his speech for as long as the government wants it, on what we call a "cadena" (a chain).
Third, we didn't have work today or studies or any productive activity. As I point out in my previous entry, the government declared this day as a "not working day" and threatened every business, school, company that had any activity with a fine. We were forced to stay home from one day to another, with no right to discussion, without a jury, without a law. Some people liked it, some others, the ones who actually got something to lose...not.
Fourth, here's a general and brief view of our lives. The shortages started on 2007 and now are part of our daily lives: the most recent one is rice and like always medicine and certain brands of certain products. And we better don’t start talking about inflation. My godchild for some odd reason can get a passport, and we have heard similar stories of kids that can't have a passport unless they pay "someone" for it. We cannot access freely to foreign currency, the access is quite limited, requires a lot of process and not everyone has the possibility to fill the requirements that include having a credit card in a country on which the majority lives in poverty. There's only one TV channel remaining that identifies itself as an opponent of the government. For the rest, your are condemn to more than six government paid or allied channels (before the revolution only one TV channel belonged to the government) or use the cable. Many people I know have lost their jobs and decided to leave the country for political reasons. The insecurity has increased on dramatic levels: I think that every single person living in Venezuela can name at least an acquaintance who has been a victim of any crime: robbing, kidnapping, even murder on the past two years.
And here I come. I'm 24 and I have spent the last 10 years of my life under a government I can't support. In a country I can't understand. And while others cheer the triumph of a Revolution, I’m about to defend my thesis. I’m trying to find a job, I haven’t had much lucky yet, but even if I find one, the salary I can aspire to is certainly ridiculous after more than five years studying in a prestigious university. Plus, I'm studying like crazy and trying to fill all the requirements not only to get the foreign currency, but to actually getting of here. But, hey! Happy 10th anniversary.