the little things.

so there has not been too much going on out of the ordinary here in Venez.
we guys have moved into a new apartment which has been nice to have some space.tying up davids hammock made for an interesting adventure and im sure an interesting nights sleep for him as we both eagerly waited to see if my jumble lump of knots would hold his weight. thankfully, he has made it the last few nights without incident and without the hammock crashing to the somewhat cold, hard, tile floor below.

...i probably would not have trusted it myself.

our water is currently being rationed because of either a drought or a waterline break, ive heard stories of both. but this is the second time it's happened since ive been here(the time before this was the first 2 days that i was in the country). it hasnt been the worst thing ever, you cant drink the tap water here anyway but it does make bathing(which i often feel is a necessity in a place that is much hotter and sunnier than Ohio) and going to the bathroom a planned event in your day.
i was on my way down in the elevator with david this morning and we were talking about the fac that the water is out. i made some ignorant comment about it not being fun to not have running water (thank God for friends and people to put perspective into my life) and so in response david says something to the effect of 'alot of places in the world dont have water at all' sorry if i misquoted you david. but it was something like that, you ge tthe idea. and of course i know this full well, but it jsut makes me realize a few things.

how overly(for lack of a better word) pampered, protected, sheltered i am as an american. and how this effects my view of the world, even as i am living in a place where things like not having running water every single day of my life happen(lets be honest... for the the great majority of North American life that is unheard of). and by no means is how i live in here in Valencia anywhere near the bottom rung of the ladder. i still lead a very comfortable, cushioned life. and by no means is not having consist running water for about 3 days some terrible travesty that i have to endure. combined with some other things like university strikes because of professors not begin paid, it jsut serves as a reminder that i know i too often have forgotten. the rest of the world does not live like i do. the things i see and dont see on the news everyday or read about in magazines are real. there are real people living in poverty or looking for ways to find clean water or food every day. and even when i do return to the states, it is still the reality of life for millions of people.
***granted there are many many many people in the united states and else where who have a much bigger view of the world than i do, which is good. i suppose i am jsut more sheltered than i origanly thought***

it was not so much that i didnt know that issues like these existed in the world, i am just making the point that in my life i can have a bad case of tunnel vision and sometimes it just takes a small thing or some words from a friend for me to begin to look beyond my own circumstances, and for a split second stop beign so inwardly focused.
and once again it helps me to realize the weight that the Gospel carries and the hope that it brings. by no means can i relate to what most of the world wakes up to everyday, but i cant help but think how some people long for something so much better than what this world has to offer. i mean i feel that way often enough and once again i am very very very very blessed to have all that i do. but yeah. its funny how small things, like flushing my toilet, can make the Gospel come alive in my life.

on a side note, there are some other fun things im discovering abotu life in venezuela...
-most things are topped with either ham, corn, or both. 99% or hamburgers and pizzas that i have seen have ham on them. they put corn on pizza and hotdogs(which also come with ham)...which are so totally different form the hot dogs you may think of in the states.
-public transportation happens through privately owned buses . drivers own their own bus, which they give a custom paint job. they just kinda pick a route and drive it, they put alittle sign in their window which tells you where they are going. these buses are often too small for someone my height to stand comfortably in. a good number of them are blaring regatone music and are often packed with people so that there are usually people hanging out the door.