Venezuela

I’ve been discerning about writing this for a little bit and I figured, why not. Venezuela is a country that has been on my radar since 1999 when I met and hired a man in Charlotte, NC who’s wife was Venezuelan, and he himself had citizenship there. We had a special connection, so much so that one day we went to our hometown of Queens, NY to look at a pizza shop that was for sale. Upon dropping him off at his father house, I noticed it was the same block as a close family friend we would visit regularly in my youth. It took 600 miles for us to finally cross paths and become friends. Even later in life we would visit Florida together and another interesting moment occurred. My mom’s friend from work was living in St. Augustine. While we were roaming the area I mentioned to him I was going to catch up with this friend who was also from Queens. He was reluctant to come since he doesn’t like being around strangers. As we began catching up, I forgot this friend of my mom used to rent the upstairs apartment from our family friend on the same road in Queens that everyone is from. At that point the two of them began talking about the people on the old block of Elks Rd in Elmhurst Queens.

Sharing these stories I have learned, have a way of connecting us, and encouraging us to look around, and look a little closer at all things. This also happened with my friend of Venezuela who taught me appreciation of being an American through his stories since 1999. Back then he mentioned how Venezuela was going down a road of ruin, that you could be shot in the street for not supporting the right politician and whoever throws the biggest party with a tanker of alcohol usually won with their bribes. Things have only gotten worse, and as I watched a video from Vox many years ago, it’s a reminder how fragile democracy and economies can be.

There are many other’s who have since shared similar stories that have inspired me and reminded me of why I enjoy talking about these topics and sharing coffee from these challenged countries. My most recent reminder was another friend that I hired later in life at a Domino’s I managed, also from Venezuela. He had to go back because he didn’t renew his visa properly. During his time there, he was inspired to open a pizza shop. Sadly after multiple break in's he left Venezuela and came back to the states illegally because that was a lesser risk than living in his homeland.

Coffee is continuously a micro economy, that can literally build the momentum to change the culture if it’s ethically produced and sourced. These practices continue to evolve, but are nonetheless challenging. The coffee I purchase is pennies in the bucket, but as I find these unique countries, I enjoy talking about, it gives me hope being so close to our nations capital. People from around the world are here, and everyday I’m hearing more and more stories of people wanting to go back home and cultivate an industry like coffee. This again is how we bypass bureaucracies that get in the way of people supplying for their family and in many cases their community, reminding again of the challenges in Venezuela as shared in the video. Just as my earlier stories of connections lead to some small miraculous experiences, so too is my hope in writing this little blog about a country that can use some help. As I shared a moment with my new Venezuelan friend. He mentioned “it has to eventually end one day, we hope”. I followed up with "and the people will need something to build an economy and make a living.” My thoughts on coffee regularly in these challenged areas.

I enjoy visiting Brazza Steaks in Sterling, VA for an occasional Venezuelan experience. I always bring him a bag of coffee when I visit.