Well, it Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.A. It’s been raining all day in Caracas and my husband is working a game in Valencia tonight. Tomorrow we will celebrate Thanksgiving by giving thanks to the Lord for all his blessings and having a traditionally inspired meal together (so to speak). This year we are especially thankful to be together this Winter Ball season and for keeping our family back home safe and sound. Our mini-Thanksgiving dinner is possible thanks to Marie Callendar and her Home-Style Creations Traditional Stuffing and Turkey meal that I brought with me and a packet of instant mashed potatoes! 🙂
So being in a foreign country, there is much to learn, and even more to appreciate about the little luxuries from home that we often neglect. For example, I really miss one-stop shopping supermarkets and high quality tap water. Aside from that, we are thankful to be here. We are thankful to learn about a different culture, language, and history.
Today, this Thanksgiving Day 2010, I have watched the rain pour down, watched an American movie with Spanish subtitles, put Christmas lights all around our apartment’s giant bookcase, talked to the family back home thanks to MagicJack, and completed a Venezuelan history lesson thanks to the local currency. I decided to google the people and animals represented on our colorful Bolivares (Bs for short), so here is a short rundown (thanks to Wikipedia) of what I have learned today by studying 2, 5, and 10 B notes:
2 Bs (Blue)
Toninas– The Amazon River Dolphin is an endangered freshwater dolphin living in the Orinonco, Amazon, and Araguains/Tocanin rivers. Toninas are the subject many stories in local Amazon folklore.
Francisco De Miranda– He is a Venezuelan revolutionary who played an important role in creating a strategy to attain independence from Spain.
5 Bs (orange/yellow)
Cuspon (Cachicamo Gigante): Giant Armadillos, an endangered species, reside in South American tropical forests.
Negro Primero is the nickname of Pedro Camejo who was the only officer of color in Simon Bolivar’s army. He is recognized for his military service during Venezuela’s fight for independence from Spain.
10 Bs (pink/orange/purple)
Aguila Arpia: (Harpy Eagle) the largest and most powerful raptor found in the Americas. These eagles inhabit tropical rainforests. One of the teams in the league is named after the Aguilas.
Guaicaipuro: united and led several indigenous tribes, in the 16th century, against the Spaniards.
And with that…I’m Thankful we had a pretty good Thanksgiving Day 2010.
Diary of an Umpire's Wife 