essay by Elimer Rodríguez
It is possibly the question that I have been asked the most in recent years…. Hello, my pleasure, where are you coming from? Yes, and I think it is because of my Latin features, because at first glance it is obvious that I was not born in this beautiful America to which I must thank so much for its hospitality, its generosity, its abundance and so many things that I have in my heart. These translate into a single word, “GRATITUDE.”
Without deviating from the topic, I here return… Where do you come from Ely? I come from a hot land, from a land of very hard-working people, of humble, modest, simple, friendly and “cool” people. These people are always happy despite going through some problem; they still have the best smile. These are the people who say that where one eats, everyone eats, the same people who do not deny anyone an arepa, and I accidentally named one of our treasures “the arepa.” In my country they eat arepa for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I could say that I have been eating arepa for 44 years and it seems like it was yesterday that I tried it for the first time when I was a little baby.
And just like that, easily and without realizing it, I got sidetracked again… Where do you come from, Ely? I am from the desert, the jungle, the snow and the sea; my country has it all. It is also rich in culture, especially dance—dance is beautiful.
We celebrate the Christmas holidays from December 7th and end with the cry of Carnival at dawn on January 1. We then continue with the Carnival festivities that are celebrated at the end of February, then take a 40-day break in order to pay honor and devotion to our Jesus of Nazarene in Holy Week. This is how the year goes from celebration to celebration, from birthday to birthday, because we celebrate everything, always with a family atmosphere.
We share and enjoy our natural beauties, those beaches with the warm water of the Caribbean Sea, enjoying Los Llanos and their customs, riding horses as a hobby, milking a cow, having a cup of coffee, listening to the rooster crow every morning. I tell it and relive it, oh God how beautiful my Country is!
I come from a multicultural country due to all those immigrants who arrived there as a result of the Second World War, who were received with open arms and supported with love. This is why in our country it is so common to have lunch with a Bolognese pasta and accompany it with French bread or have dinner with a Spanish omelette.
I can’t stop saying how beautiful my country is. This country of majesty has “Angel Falls,” which is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world, with a height of 979 meters and a drop of 807 meters. The waterfall falls on the edge of the Auyán-tepui Mountain in the Canaima National Park, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the Gran Sabana region of the Bolívar state. We also enjoyed ” Catatumbo’s lightning ” which is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs at the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it flows into Lake Maracaibo. Catatumbo means “House of Thunder” in the language of the Bari people. It occurs between April and November, producing electrical activity 95% of the night and/or up to 260 times a year and lasts up to 10 hours during the night. Furthermore, this phenomenon can reach more than 90 discharges per minute.
I think I could write a giant book to tell you about where I come from. The time has come to say it… I come from VENEZUELA, and every day I feel that wherever I go I will carry my beautiful country in my heart, as it is my great treasure. I dare to say that wherever a Venezuelan is, we will enjoy all the customs as if we were in our own country. It is our legacy and will pass from generation to generation if God allows it.