Caracas, Venezuela Report of what it's like to live there - 11/05/14
Personal Experiences from Caracas, Venezuela
Background:
1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?
We have lived in a number of places in the Americas, Africa and the Middle East.
2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
Miami, 3 hours non-stop.
3. How long have you lived here?
14 months.
4. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?
U.S. Government.
Housing, Groceries & Food:
1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
All housing is in apartments not far from the Embassy. Because of crime and the very vertical terrain, walking or biking to work is impossible for almost everyone, but no one has more than a 10-minute drive to work.
2. How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Availability? Even the government here reports that 20 of 23 basic food items are in permanent shortage. If you find something in the market, you tend to buy as much of it as they allow (there is rationing here) because you don't know when you'll see it again. When you go to the grocery store, you tend to not buy much of your grocery list, because it is in shortage that day/week/month/year. Last week, for the first time in 14 months, I saw wheat flour in a store. If you are at the official exchange rate, groceries for a family of four runs about US$1,000 a week (a 10 ounce jar of peanut butter is US$135 for you.) If you are able to buy using black market money, it's about US$75 a week.
3. What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
If a USG employee allowed a consumables shipment, ship absolutely everything-- personal care items, cleaning supplies, and every food you might want to eat. If you have a special diet, this might not be the place for you.
4. What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
Venezuela needs to import about 80% of its food. Because of extreme currency controls, businesses access hard currency only with great difficulty. As a result, while fast food exists, it is disappointing and of very low quality. Going to a restaurant is the same-- you will have a menu, but it is not unusual that half the menu will not be available. Nicer restaurants exist but cuisine is uninspring and of a lower quality than the price point would suggest. Those able to take advantage of the black market exchange rate have a better deal but the quality is still low-- what is a US$40 coffee and toast at the official rate is a US$3 meal for those who exchanged hard currency on the black market (and lived to tell about it).
5. Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?
Ants, termites and a few mosquitos that carry dengue and chikungunya (google it). There is malaria in some rural areas but not in the metropolitan area of Caracas.
Daily Life:
1. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
Cheap, if you have access to the black market rate for money.
2. What kinds of gyms or other sports/workout facilities are available? Are they expensive?
For USG employees, there is a gym run by the employee association. Athletic clubs exist, but carry high prices.
3. Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
Generally unsafe.
4. How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
Spanish is essential here. Few locals speak English, and in general no one speaks any other language.
5. Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
Sidewalks are broken, streets are steeply angled, few places have hadicapped access, elevators (when they're working) often have doors too narrow for a wheelchair. Lighting is often burned out or so dim to be ineffective. Pharmacies are unable to import medicines, even common medicines as basic as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Transportation:
1. Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
Horribly unsafe.
2. What kind of car do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car do you advise not to bring?
Venezuelans drive a wide range of cars and on the road it will look like a pageant of the last 40 years of automobiles. Parts are not available for any car. Oil and other fluids are not available for any car. Roads are narrow and very poorly maintained, parking spaces are small. Cars parked on dark streets will be stripped, and thieves will take almost any car, as long as they think they can get away-- bad traffic can be your friend; the thieves will roll from car to car in stuck traffic, stealing everything of value, but at least they don't want the car because they can't get away.
No cars with engines bigger than 6 cylinders are allowed. No vehicles that have a military look, like a Hummer or some Jeeps.
Phone & Internet:
1. Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
Government censored and monitored internet is available. 4mb DSL service with local phone costs about US$100 a month at the official rate, US$6 a month at the black market rate. The service can be painfully slow during heavy usage times.
2. Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
GSM phone service with 3G in 2014. Don't plan on buying a phone here, even a cheapy, because they're in permanent shortage.
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities:
1. What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?
None on the local economy.
2. What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?
Work at the Embassy is traditional-- ties for men, etc.
Health & Safety:
1. Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
The U.S. State Department considers the crime threat in Caracas as "critical," the worst possible rating. Street robberies, kidnapping, carjacking and home invasions are rampant and regularly include the diplomatic community among its victims. A common scenario is a motorcycle with two aboard suddenly appearing from nowhere; the man in the back puts a gun in your face; if you do not hand over everything quickly, they shoot you in the face. It's just more efficient, and the police will never find your killer. The most polite criminals are either current or former police who have found a more lucrative career-- this is not a joke.
2. Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
Medical care has been in sharp decline for the past few years. There is a brain drain, as professionals with portable skills flee Venezuela for literally anywhere else (literally 9% of the country has plans to leave at this time, and 23% wish they could.) This is not a place to be sick, and is no longer a place to come for cosmetic or elective surgery. Yes, in Venezuela even breast implants are in shortage.
3. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
Good, in general. An omnipresent breeze keeps the car exhaust from ever getting too thick.
4. What do people who suffer from environmental or food allergies need to know?
Because the climate in Caracas is always like a late spring day, there is always something that is blooming, and because the temperatures never rise that high, windows are often open. For food allergies, ingredients are often not listed, and as much food is highly processed and stretched with cheap additives, you will have a tough time here. Food selection is extremely limited at times.
5. What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
Imagine the perfect day in May in Washington, DC, almost every day of the year. In general it's no worse that low to mid 80s F in the day and mid 60s F at night. There is a rainy season but that means rains at times in the late afternoon to overnight.
Schools & Children:
1. What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
There are two (formerly large, now medium sized) international schools, ECA and CIC. There is also a small evangelical religious school with instruction in English. CIC is a great looking school in what is now a high crime area. As a result, embassy families go only to ECA, but there is no prohibition at this time from using CIC.
2. What accommodations do schools make for special-needs kids?
They try but their resources are limited. As Chavez prohibited the teaching of English in public schools, there are very few Venezuelans who can communicate in English, meaning outside resources are almost non-existant.
3. Are preschools available? Day care? Are these expensive? What has been your experience with them, if any? Do the schools provide before- and/or after-school care?
Given the extreme difference between the lowest official exchange rate and the black market rate at this time, a full time nanny costs US$100 a month or less.
4. Are local sports classes and/or activities available for kids?
ECA has a wide program of after-school activities that include a wide range of sports.
Expat Life:
1. What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
Small and getting smaller as foreign firms continue to leave and embassies draw down their staffing. Morale is mixed-- the more resilient you are, and the more Spanish you know, the easier it is. People freak out here pretty easily, and there is significant stress experienced by all.
2. Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?
If you're good with being stuck in an apartment most of the time, and don't mind black-outs, water rationing (turned off city water two days a week), and not being able to regularly find things like milk, bread, butter, soap, shampoo, detergent or dozens of other ordinary things, this might just be your place. If you go out at night, you're taking your life in your hands. If you go out during the day, the same, only not as bad.
3. Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
Venezuelans in ordinary speech use a number of words and phrases that are extreme vulgarities in the rest of the Spanish speaking world. It is a rough machista culture that does not value education and that has closed itself off largely to information from the outside. Official rhetoric is equated with truth, as the local media is heavily censored to the point of ignorring major news stories because they are not flattering to the government. Prejudice, yeah. Bigotry and racism, yup. These are people who say "Hi, buddy" where the word for "buddy" is the most vulgar name for a certain part of the female anatomy.
4. What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
The people, the work, and traveling to other countries to get away from the oppressive economic, political and human rights environment in Venezuela.
5. What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
The weather is great but the economy is in shambles. Because of three official exchange rates (ranging from 6.3 to the dollar to 50) and a black market rate around 100 to the U.S. dollar, there are many things that, if you can find them, will be ridiculously cheap, Venezuela's hyerflation aside.
6. Can you save money?
If you're good with getting money on the black market (mountains of cash, as the largest banknote in circulation is worth less than a dollar) and if you're OK with eating like a local, you can save money.
Words of Wisdom:
1. What do you wish you had known about this particular city/country before moving there?
How much worse things would become. When I accepted the job in 2012, things weren't that bad. By 2013 things were dicey but livable. In 2014, the country is circling the drain, and this roller coaster hasn't yet hit the bottom.
2. Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?
No. The place is circling the drain, and the local population seems to be hoping for a magical miracle to make everything better without anything on their part.
3. If you move here, you can leave behind your:
Optimism that Venezuela has reached the bottom, and that the people will insist their government do the responsible thing.
