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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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 Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 3:02 am Post subject: |
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| newdayrising wrote: |
All the more reason to go  . For someone interested in international politics the next few years in Peru will surely be interesting times. |
AHve you lived in LIma recently?  Are you a man or woman? Hope you had a better time than I did, PM me if you want more info. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 3:04 am Post subject: |
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| Vecchia wrote: |
Hate to hijack the thread but...
I've been in touch with a school in Caracas. The school deals mainly with multinational clients so it'll be business English.
Anyone had any recent experiences out there?
Pay is 2,800 Bfs p/m. Enough to live on? Housing inluded.
Also, is Caracas as dodgy and expensive as everyone says?
I read this article earlier, is it really that expensive??!
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/venezuela/090828/cost-living-caracas
Thanks |
It would probably be enough to live on. Espeically since you have housing taken care of. Are they getting you a visa?
Also, keep in mind the average Venezuelan isn't going to be taking taxis all over, eating Campbell's soup and going to McDonald's. If you live like that, it'll be expensive. If you live like a local, you'll be ok. |
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newdayrising
Joined: 17 Dec 2010
Posts: 32
Location: Boston
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| Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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| naturegirl321 wrote: |
| newdayrising wrote: |
| All the more reason to go . For someone interested in international politics the next few years in Peru will surely be interesting times. |
AHve you lived in LIma recently? Are you a man or woman? Hope you had a better time than I did, PM me if you want more info. |
Well I worked in Arequipa last year. Peruvians can be maddeningly passive-aggressive and dishonest. But you're right. I'm a man and I'm sure various aspects of life and work there were much more enjoyable because of it.
To get back on topic though I have to say I had had somewhat similar issues with the few Venezuelans I met. Directness is not highly valued in their culture from my experience...
Also, Vecchia, I missed where you said that housing is included. Considering that now I think you have a really awesome deal. You should probably even be able to save $100-200 a month if you're frugal...or you can just go to the beach every weekend. Take this with a grain of salt though. I'm 23 years old and the type of person content with life as long as I find good friends and good food. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 6:10 am Post subject: |
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Arequipa's not Lima. Far from it.
I was supposed to work in Venezuela straight after graduation but there were major strikes and the embassy was pulling its personnel out. I went to Venezuela about a year before I was supposed to work there. Seemed nice. But I was only there for a short time so it's hard to get a complete idea of the place. We'll be going back to visiti probably next summer. |
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icehockey23
Joined: 28 Feb 2009
Posts: 72
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| Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:45 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Also, Vecchia, I missed where you said that housing is included. Considering that now I think you have a really awesome deal. You should probably even be able to save $100-200 a month if you're frugal... |
Ummmm . . . you cant exchange Bolivares into anything (well on the black market you can but it would make more sense to paper your walls with them). Save 100 or 200 dollars a month? - that could be true but it is not like you can take any savings out of the country.
I absolutely love Venezuela and have worked on and off there for over three years. It is a gorgeous country. However, for me, everything was far too political. You are either A: a Chavista, B: pretend to be, while still riding the petro-dollar ultra corrupted fuled gravy train or C: hate him. If you are going to make good money as an English teacher most of your students will probably be from category C (in my experience) which gets pretty tiring after a while. I literally lost it one class and found myself saying "He must have done something good, some little thing, anything, anyone???" Blank stares.
If you wish to enjoy somewhat of a good life while there - in my experience it was incredibly expensive and I went to the barrios to buy my fruit and veg and went to the state stores to get the subsidized cooking oil, beans and rice - that was really all the state stores had, at least on Fridays and Wednesdays when I went. - aisle after aisle of . . . cooking oil - I dont mean to be sarcastic but after a while the political situation just seemed to intrude everywhere. After going through the electricity blackouts, 3 days a week without running water, milk shortage, sugar shortage, meat shortage --- none of these particularly bothered me until the toilet paper shortage! That was just not right.
I do love Venezuela, but if Senor C. ever nationalizes Polar, as he has threatened (the country's major brewer) and there is a beer shortage, I am quite certain I cannot go back there for another contract. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 4:58 am Post subject: |
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| I've been told that rumours have it that he'll lose the next election. What's the feeling in Venezuela about that? We're thinking of visiting next year, either Venezuela or Colombia for about a week. |
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icehockey23
Joined: 28 Feb 2009
Posts: 72
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| Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 4:05 pm Post subject: |
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| I've been told that rumours have it that he'll lose the next election. What's the feeling in Venezuela about that? |
Like in most places when it comes to politics - some hate him, some love him. Most of the middle and upper class of course belong to the first category and the vast majority of the economically disadvantaged belong to the latter. The rumours that you are referring to might come from the fact that even some of the economically disadvantaged have been hurt by inflation, corruption and crime. And is normal in a democracy, after a long enough time the masses seem to all agree to throw out the rulers and let someone else try and manage the mess.
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| We're thinking of visiting next year |
Venezuela is beautiful. The problem is that because of the currency situation it is expensive to travel there at the "official" exchange rate. However, if you are willing to exchange dollars on the black market, it can be very very reasonable. The only problem is that this is of course illegal. Once you are on the ground though there will be many opportunities to exchange dollars. What I hated about that was that while I was living there and had Venezuelan friends they continually wanted/needed dollars - and I could have made my financial situation much more secure by essentially taking advantage of their desperation.
Also, if I was to tavel in Venezuela without local contacts, I would probably just avoid Caracas or at least avoid any contact with the police in Caracas - east Caracas is pretty safe (Chacao) but considerably more expensive. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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Though I also heard rumours back in 2000 that he would lose. I went to Barcelona and Caracas then. Loved it. If we go, it'll be our vacation from our vacation. Spending time with my in laws and family, I'll need it
Yep, we'll stay out of Caracas. The two nights I spent there there were shots throughout the night. We're looking at the Caribbean part, not the city. |
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