Feel the Bern: Leave Right Now or Arm Yourself to the Teeth: Life in Caracas

A twist of the radio dial reveals a grim reality.

By Fabiola Zerpa More stories by Fabiola Zerpa February‎ ‎05‎, ‎2018‎

There are few places as chaotic or dangerous as Venezuela. “Life in Caracas” is a new series of short stories that seeks to capture the surreal quality of living in a land in total disarray.  As a child growing up in Venezuela, I loved listening to the radio. I found the voices, and the tales they spun, hypnotizing.

Now, it’s torture. Especially the ads. At times, it seems as if they’re all instructing me to flee the country. Immediately. In one of them, a woman offers to find a home for me to buy in Florida. In another, I’m told that, for a small fee, U.S. visas for the whole family can be mine. Then there’s the one with the lawyers promising to help me land a job abroad. Oh wait, here’s a guy who isn’t trying to ship me overseas: He’s telling me I should turn my Toyota Corolla into an armored vehicle ........The endless shows praising Maduro’s latest edicts, the 1970s music paying tribute to socialism and, of course, those damn ads..............To Read More....