TGIF – June 6, 2008, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.
Friday afternoon we had a TGIF to say goodbye to the local teachers and assistants. Shown above from left to right are Ana, Lisa, Gustavo, Ann, Bill, Mendez, and Lili. We enjoyed a couple of beverages and reminisced about our time together at EA. The older gentleman next to me is an interesting case. Here in Venezuela it helps to have a “gestor.” A gestor may be a unique job title to Venezuela. This is a person that facilitates processes due to his/her connections. It always helps to know people and with the high levels of corruption and inefficiency here, in order to get things done in a timely manner, a business needs help. Mendez (his code name) has assisted us greatly throughout the years. To my right is the longest serving teacher in the history of the school, Ms. Ann DaCamara. She has been at EA for 17 years and is the Pre-Kindergarten teacher. She is from Georgetown, Guyana and is an excellent teacher and good friend. The school should name the Early Childhood Center after her due to her dedication to the school. The bookends are Ann and Lili, two assistants in the Early Childhood. Nadia thanks them for their help. The gentleman in the dark glasses is Gustavo. He is our head of maintenance and security. He is indispensable for the myriad of mechanical problems we have at the school. He is my right hand man and I thank him for his honesty and efforts to make the school better.
We are having a great weekend. Friday night we made a last run to Arturos, the Kentucky Fried Chicken of Venezuela. The boys had their final “chamo pack” (chamo is a Venezuelan term for friend). We ran into the Micale family, who with their four children have as crazy of a life as us.
Yesterday was an almost perfect day. We awoke early as usual and I took the kids to the Parque Ballenas for a bike ride around the track. It also let Nadia sleep in as Ocean was up every hour. We made it 1 kilometer around! We asked the nanny and maid to come in the morning so Nadia and I could pack. Instead of trying to sell our possessions we are not taking to our next post, we donated all of our stuff to our nanny’s family. Our home is almost empty and the bags are packed. During the day, we watched Ana Ivanisovic (a Serb) win the French Open and the opening game of the Euro Cup between the Czech Republic and Switzerland. I went swimming with the boys twice in the pool and in the late afternoon/early evening, we played soccer and baseball while Nadia ran her 6 km. She is running to get back into her pre-pregnancy shape. She has already lost over 15 kilos (33 pounds) and will lose another 5 kilos (11 pounds) before she is satisfied. Pregnancy is tough on a woman’s body.
Ocean our daughter is getting cuter by the minute. She is 8+ months and is scooting around the floor. She is eating solid foods and is just adorable. She cries like a girl and is a bit more sensitive and calmer than the boys were as babies. It is a nice change.
We’ll try to finish packing today and I want to go up to our favorite spot in Anaco, the mesa for a family photograph at sunset for the heading of the blog. We have spent many hours of hiking through the canyonlands areas up there. I re-charged my batteries every few weeks with day visit there and will miss the beautiful views and quiet.
Bill's Blog 
Hello, I would like to know if you are the principal of Escuela Anaco?, it’s an american School in Anaco Edo Anzoategui right?….
And I want to know if this is an Elementary or have High School there?
If you know some High School with american programming please let me know.
I’m Venezuelan and I live in Los Angeles, with a 11th grader student but I’m looking for an high school or private boot camp, or internal high school in Venezuela but, I don’t want she lost her curricular american program.
I appreciate all further information than you can borrow to me,
Thanks,
Claudia.
Bill,
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to blog. It was just by chance I stumbled upon your blog. I did a search for blogs on the International School of Latvia and yours popped up.
You can imagine my surprise to see ties in your blog to ANACO. Of course, I had to read your former posts. Suddenly, I am staring at a photo of one of my students and his family. Please pass this message along to your family, the Micale family is doing well. Piero has a love for reading and learning. He also is quite the ladies man, happy as a clam in my second grade class of 13 girls and only 2 boys. Tony, my husband and I call “The Little Politician”. He too is succeeding at school. Although he prefers the social side of life at CIPLC much more than the academics. As for little Pieroita, she loves coming to school. I see her all the time in her red shirt running an playing with her friends at recess. Mom too, is doing well. Their family is a great added bonus to our CIPLC school community.
You may be wondering why a person would be searching for blogs? My husband and I are currently teaching at CIPLC in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. We are considering moving on from our beloved CIPLC after the 2010/2011 school year. We have a 100 pound chocolate lab, and plan to take him with us to our next teaching post. As you can imagine this takes an amazing amount of research. Finding a country that allows entry for him and also has a school where we would love to work is not easy. I like to read ex-pat’s blogs as a way to feel out countries and locations from an insider’s point if view.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to blog.
I cannot wait to see Piero Monday and talk to him about how I stumbled upon his old friends.
Keep Blogging,
Stacy Schneider
Take 2, sending a second time ( we are having a few VZ power serge issues today).
Stacy,
Thanks for the kind words and the update on the Micale’s. We were in Anaco for 6 wonderful years and made many strong friendships. Give my regards to them as well as the Montanaris and all the other “Escuela Anaco” alumni that are at CIPLC. I also have good memories of the EVAC events with Chris Irvin. Good luck with the job search.