A visit to Venezuela made such a lasting impact on Australian expat Tamara that she decided to stay, what with the country's beautiful scenery and warm, friendly people. She discusses what it's like for a foreigner like her to live in Merida, where she teaches English and expresses her sociopolitical beliefs.	Tamara Pearson

-Where were you born?

In Sydney, Australia

-In which country and city are you living now?

In Merida, Venezuela

-Are you living alone or with your family?

I came here alone, but I'm currently living in a shared apartment with Venezuelan university students.

-How long have you been living in Venezuela?

Just 5 months now!

-What is your age?

I'm 25.

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Venezuela?

I came here for a conference and a brigade (a kind of political tour, organised by the Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network) 2 years ago, and fell in love with everything: the mountains, the people, and the revolution.

I'm a socialist, and an internationalist, and I thought that I could contribute or support the revolution here.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?

It was easy enough for me to get a one-year tourist visa. A working permit, I'm discovering, will be almost impossible. I have to go back to Australia, which is just too far and expensive to make it worth it. I'm looking into going to Colombia to get one from there, but first I need a letter from the Ministry of Work. To stay here I can just cross the border every 3 months, but I really need permission to work.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

I've never had medical insurance in my life. In Australia it is too expensive, and I'm young and so things I need like checkups, etc., are free there. Here, almost all healthcare is free, medical insurance isn't necessary.

-How do you make your living in Venezuela? Do you have any type of income generated?

I'm currently living off money I've saved by working really hard in Australia and by never ever spending it - yep, no social life for 2 years :). I'm also teaching English for Mission Sucre, a government higher education campaign, which provides completely free education to mostly excluded people. It was quite a process getting this work because I had to find the office (harder than it sounds), make contacts, and put up with the lack of organisation. It was worth it though.

-Do you speak Spanish and do you think it's important to speak the local language?

It is not easy to learn a language overnight, but people should definitely make the effort. I don't understand why people would come to a country (as many tourists do) without any regard to the country's history, current situation, and any desire to meet and talk with people here. My Spanish is not perfect, but it's getting better, and every day I meet the most interesting, courageous, beautiful people, and I'm glad that I can talk to them.

Local customs: Well, yes we should respect them to an extent, but its also ok to be a foreigner: you'll never be able to hide this, and it's rich to have your own identity too. For example, everyone kisses when they meet - if you don't do that, people will think you don't like them or something. So do it, and besides, its nice. However, the culture of men always paying for women on a date, well I don't see why you can't explain that you'd like to be equal, and therefore chip in...

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?

I definitely miss my mum, I miss my friends, and talking fluently and exactly in English, but it's equally awesome making new friends. There are trivial things I miss, like the food (Thai food!) but they are not big enough to make me want to go back.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

I'd like to stay here for at least the next few years, finish my novel :) and after that I have no idea...

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

I'm renting a room. It's expensive but nothing like what it would be in Australia.

-What is the cost of living in Venezuela?

Somewhere in the middle of a third world and first world country. It is a bit cheaper than Australia, but not extremely cheap. The thing is, the revolution has given so much to the people: free education, health care, etc. Public transport is extremly cheap, and the Mercal (government market) sells some basic food quite cheaply. It's the other stuff that is expensive: the imported food, the clothing, etc. So being a tourist and actually living here are quite different things.

-What do you think about the Venezuelans?

Oh, I've had a few rude encounters, and the guys love foreigners for all the wrong reasons (they've watched too much cable and think we are all like those bimbo happy idiots in the US soapies). They also associate us with the 'happy' lifestyle, and think one thing brings the other. Of course, that's not everyone. Most people are intelligent enough to not put all Americans and George Bush in one basket (a lot of people assume I'm from the US), and generally I have a lot of friends who amaze me by their tolerance of my imperfect Spanish. On the whole, people are great.

Like anywhere in the world, everyone is different, but I think it's ok to say that generally people are affectionate, expressive, outgoing, sociable and they love to dance, debate, and share. Few people are shy, and I love the way women will get up at meetings, stroll and gesture around, making their point. You don't see that so much in Australia. People, even my students, love to invite you back to their house for arepas, introduce you to their family and their world. They are proud of their country. Of course, there are some quite 'traditional' values that still hold strong. Family is extremely important, abortions and being gay are not tolerated by most people. Pressure on women to be 'beautiful' and consumer culture is still very high.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Venezuela?

The positive aspects are endless. The revolution is the most inspiring thing on so many levels. Every day is an adventure: because everything is new, and because things are always changing and there are always meetings to go to and cultural events, and people to meet...Forget the apathy and dormant lifestyle: the revolution has woken people up out of slumber. Protests in Caracas of a million people occur a few times a year, and they end with fireworks and street dancing...finally poor people are proud. Your mind will never be bored here.

The negative aspects are real, but mostly petty. There are food shortages, and the food is boring- and often pretty unhealthy if you eat out. The machismo is hard. The custom of being 2 hours late, and being disorganised can be frustrating. Also the revolution is not perfect, it has a hundred holes...but all that means is that there is a lot to do!

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Venezuela?

Yeah, get informed about the political situation here. It's important on a global level, even if you don't agree with it. Don't come here just for adventure, that's plain rude and patronising to the country. Be open minded, do scary things, meet everyone you can and remember them. Then go back to your country and tell them what it's really like here. Don't believe the mainstream media.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Venezuela?

I keep a diary about life here - focused more on the political and social aspects. www.gringadiary.blogspot.com.

For news, analysis and background I recommend www.venezuelanalysis.com.