Article February 24, 2003 Issue

Venezuelan reconstruction

A friend of Venezuela prays for the country's return to peace and prosperity.

By Patricia Pombo de Leuschner

El Heraldo de la Christian Science

The pilot announced that we would be landing in a few minutes. Through the window of the plane, I saw the coast clearly defined against a turquoise-colored sea and the majestic mountains generously covered with vegetation. This was the first time I was traveling to Venezuela. When we got out of the airport, another sun welcomed me—the sun of the Tropics. And I felt as though it melted the cement and evaporated the air and filled everything with its splendor.

That warmth was the beginning of eight very beautiful years of my life, during which I basically learned and learned and learned.

I became acquainted with animals I hadn't even heard of before, like the rabipelados (kind of opossum) and the zamuros (vulture). I enjoyed seeing the guacamayas (macaws) flying boldly over the noisy city of Caracas at sunset. I learned to distinguish between the nonpoisonous coral snakes and the real ones that a couple of times crossed in front of us in our garden. I got used to checking my shoes to prevent undesirable encounters with scorpions. I also learned to enjoy a good pabellon (typical Venezuelan meal made of black beans, meat, rice, tomato sauce, and bananas), to feel with my fingers when the dough of the arepa (corn bread) is ready to face the budare (plate made of clay or iron to cook the corn bread); to taste the best hallaca (traditional Christmas meal) in the world in each home, and in between enjoy delicious juices and exquisite fruits.