Thursday, October 15, 2015

Venezuela: Land of No Milk and No Honey

 The 19th-century Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy once wrote: “Describe your village, and you will describe the world.” I won’t go that far, but I will describe my home in the hopes of giving readers an idea of Venezuela’s current situation. You must have heard about the shortages, the lines, and the inflation, but abstract articles can hardly describe what it’s like for us Venezuelans. We are a family of four living in a middle-class home, enjoying an above-average lifestyle in a country where most households earn two minimum-wage salaries: US$20 per month at the current black-market rate. One day, as I arrived home, I realized we wouldn’t have milk for breakfast the following morning. What would you do in a normal country? You would probably go to your local supermarket or a grocery store, right Not in Venezuela. We could still do that some years ago, but now it is impossible. There simply is no milk. The government frequently announces it is importing milk formula, but it never materializes on store shelves. More…

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