This blog' traffic is usually from overseas - specially United States and Europe so that's why I address more to foreigners than Venezuelans. But recently, I have noticed a non ordinary traffic of Venezuelans in my blog. After receiving comments and e-mails from some of them, I have come up with this idea. More than an idea, is a proposal. It goes like this:
Readers already know my story: they have read about the anguish reflected during dinner conversations with my family, they have read about my early encounters with this revolution in high school, about the marches, protests, and street clashes I have witnessed, about my brief stage as part of a political party and later, as part of a student movement. They have read about the people I have lost -due to violent death or more likely to emigration - on these years. They read everything about my graduation, a bit about my job search. They even know a bit about how my love life has been putting Venezuelan reality as a context. They suspect my life resembles the life of many Venezuelans.
To some extent this is true. My life resembles the life of almost any high middle but recently impoverished middle class educated young woman. I'm nothing original. I have similar concerns and similar aspirations people of my generation and my conditions has. But then there are many subjective realities that I can't explore nor express accurate in this space. Maybe a girl with a different career or still single, maybe a young woman who already left the country and is struggling to adapt herself to a new environment. Maybe a guy still studying or just coming out of the university or starting his own business. Maybe someone having to live the difficulties parenthood carries in this crisis. Maybe someone with a better or worse situation in life than the one I have. Maybe someone who works for the government. Someone who has experience a kidnapping or an assault (I'm lucky, even in the most dangerous city in the world, I have not yet directly experienced any). I know very little about life in other Venezuelan cities or towns besides my own: Caracas.
So if you can feel identified with any of the lines above, or even if your reality is almost exactly like my own. If you are Venezuelan, live in or sort of recently left Venezuela and speak English; I want to invite you to write here as a guest blogger. This blog is for people who wants to approach to the reality of a Venezuelan. I designed this blog for people who wants to look beyond the news and inside citizens houses, life and most importantly, feelings. So if readers could get a glimpse of what happens here, how does it feel, how do we manage to keep our heads and hearts still; from other voices besides my own; their understanding of our reality would be a lot greater.
To put the long story short, if you feel entitled to, write your testimonial. Above all talk about how do you feel, what do you think; if its politically correct or not, is not important.
You can send me what your write, along side with your name or a nickname (I prefer to keep my real name private, you are free to put your real name or not), to my e-mail (in case of doubts, my account is "julia1984ve", its a gmail account, I'm writing it like that to avoid spam). You can also include a link or links to your blog, twitter, personal page or any other way for readers to contact you or see/read more about you. If you want to include a picture/drawing/image, that would be great too. You can keep it short or long. If it's too long I will have to publish it in two parts which can't do much harm. Your post might also include links to other pages or not, that's up to you.
I will read of course your post before publishing it, and I'll edit it if necessary: but only small grammar mistakes, typing and things like that. In case of a major editing I will consult that to you. I won't publish anything you are not agree to be published. And obviously, you will appear as the single author of the post.
If your post receive comments, I will moderate those comments. I usually don't publish comments that are offensive, compromise my real identity, or are just plain trolls or spam. I don't publish comments people have explicitly asked me not to. If you disagree with this policy, we can talk about it and see what we can negotiate.
I have the feeling that this post and invitation might fall in deaf ears. But I don't lose anything for trying. And if it does work, if anyone actually sends anything I think it will be an interesting opportunity for me to diversify my blog' contents, for guest posters to get other spaces and platforms to be heard, and for this blog readers to enrich their knowledge and understanding on our little but yet important; Venezuelan perspectives. So I'm trilled about the idea, don't you? If so, please, please, please... sign in!
Readers already know my story: they have read about the anguish reflected during dinner conversations with my family, they have read about my early encounters with this revolution in high school, about the marches, protests, and street clashes I have witnessed, about my brief stage as part of a political party and later, as part of a student movement. They have read about the people I have lost -due to violent death or more likely to emigration - on these years. They read everything about my graduation, a bit about my job search. They even know a bit about how my love life has been putting Venezuelan reality as a context. They suspect my life resembles the life of many Venezuelans.
To some extent this is true. My life resembles the life of almost any high middle but recently impoverished middle class educated young woman. I'm nothing original. I have similar concerns and similar aspirations people of my generation and my conditions has. But then there are many subjective realities that I can't explore nor express accurate in this space. Maybe a girl with a different career or still single, maybe a young woman who already left the country and is struggling to adapt herself to a new environment. Maybe a guy still studying or just coming out of the university or starting his own business. Maybe someone having to live the difficulties parenthood carries in this crisis. Maybe someone with a better or worse situation in life than the one I have. Maybe someone who works for the government. Someone who has experience a kidnapping or an assault (I'm lucky, even in the most dangerous city in the world, I have not yet directly experienced any). I know very little about life in other Venezuelan cities or towns besides my own: Caracas.
So if you can feel identified with any of the lines above, or even if your reality is almost exactly like my own. If you are Venezuelan, live in or sort of recently left Venezuela and speak English; I want to invite you to write here as a guest blogger. This blog is for people who wants to approach to the reality of a Venezuelan. I designed this blog for people who wants to look beyond the news and inside citizens houses, life and most importantly, feelings. So if readers could get a glimpse of what happens here, how does it feel, how do we manage to keep our heads and hearts still; from other voices besides my own; their understanding of our reality would be a lot greater.
To put the long story short, if you feel entitled to, write your testimonial. Above all talk about how do you feel, what do you think; if its politically correct or not, is not important.
You can send me what your write, along side with your name or a nickname (I prefer to keep my real name private, you are free to put your real name or not), to my e-mail (in case of doubts, my account is "julia1984ve", its a gmail account, I'm writing it like that to avoid spam). You can also include a link or links to your blog, twitter, personal page or any other way for readers to contact you or see/read more about you. If you want to include a picture/drawing/image, that would be great too. You can keep it short or long. If it's too long I will have to publish it in two parts which can't do much harm. Your post might also include links to other pages or not, that's up to you.
I will read of course your post before publishing it, and I'll edit it if necessary: but only small grammar mistakes, typing and things like that. In case of a major editing I will consult that to you. I won't publish anything you are not agree to be published. And obviously, you will appear as the single author of the post.
If your post receive comments, I will moderate those comments. I usually don't publish comments that are offensive, compromise my real identity, or are just plain trolls or spam. I don't publish comments people have explicitly asked me not to. If you disagree with this policy, we can talk about it and see what we can negotiate.
I have the feeling that this post and invitation might fall in deaf ears. But I don't lose anything for trying. And if it does work, if anyone actually sends anything I think it will be an interesting opportunity for me to diversify my blog' contents, for guest posters to get other spaces and platforms to be heard, and for this blog readers to enrich their knowledge and understanding on our little but yet important; Venezuelan perspectives. So I'm trilled about the idea, don't you? If so, please, please, please... sign in!