Lading in Venezuela

  After hopping so many flights and numerous problems, we landed on the sub-continent of South America.  The city of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.  Every thing seemed so fuzzy, yet I do remember seeing my dad standing at the terminal.  I did not see any thing but ran to him to be hugged by the familiar arms.  He scooped me and my sister up in one swing and I remember to be hugged tight.  Oh the familiar smell and the familiar feel, (I still miss them), to be surrounded by that made me feel, we are safe now.


  We had to take one more short flight, to a city called Poerto O'daz, it was a city in the heart of  Venezuela.  Dad was deputed from his company called, DCPL, for a steel company called Sidore.  We were to live in a settlement with trailers.  When we were driving through the entrance, I stared at the duplicated housing society.  I thought ...oh God how in heaven's name am I going to remember where I live, all the houses look exactly the same, other than slight differences.  The only thing I remember was we had turned in the last road after the main entrance and that our house number was 300.


  Once we entered the block of the the trailer, it was well furnished. The entrance had the living area, which had one bedroom and bath to the right and a kitchen and dinning area on the other.  the dinning area had a long hallway running through it, which housed the an other bathroom and the laundry area.  This hallway ended into the second bedroom.  There was a back door exit too.  Our "house" was situated beside a big field of nothing but over grown shrubs and strange sized rocks.  That, later became our main source of exploration.  My sister and me were given the bedroom at the very end of the hall, to make it our kingdom.


  We were so tiered and exhausted that, just wanted to go to sleep, but dad gave us a drink to get our pains away.  Mom took a sip and said.... hey this is so bitter, dad said it is just bit of medicine just gulp it down.  I did just as baba(dad) told me to, and later learned , that dad made me gulp down brandy.  Ma just refused it and so did my sister.  With that we slept and slept and slept, till we could not sleep any more.


  Next day was our first school day, we got all dressed, as it was for the first time we came to know that we don't need uniforms for school.  What a trill it was for us, that we could put on what ever we want for school.  At the bus stop met a few people but did not have the courage to say hello.  Once in school, I discovered they were teaching all the things I had already done long long back.  Feeling dam proud of my intelligence, I started feeling a lot comfortable.  Then a call from the principle came through the phone system in the school intercom, calling my name, and telling me to go the principle's office.  Oh my God, what in heaven's name did I do.  With wobbly feet I entered the principle's office, the principle smiled and told me to sit as they brought my little weepy sister in.   One look at me and she was in my lap and crying her cute little head off.


  The teacher said they will have to drop us home as my sister was too small for school, and that I need to show them the way.  Oh my words...this is what I was so scared of...I can't recognize my own house, and how am I to tell them that.  I gulped in, and forced a radiant smile as I could do at that time, and said .... sure lets go.  The driver took us to the main gate and I crossed my fingers and started pointing out to the roads, and then I saw number 300, I almost yeppieed out of my seat.  After the teachers left us in mom's capable hands, she turned and said ...shona how did you find your way...I had no answer....I just pray to God that he help in finding my way the rest of my life too.....