Venezuela

Hi everyone! I'm in Valencia, Venezuela after two days of travel. I had to spend the night in Miami because I couldn't make the connection to the ONE flight per day to Valencia. The best part of it all was that the team didn't get their bags when they arrived here. Hopefully they will be here tomorrow, otherwise I'm fencing in linen pants and a camisole. Hmmm...fencing did want publicity....

I am looking forward to fencing the first event on Wednesday. The first individual event doesn't really count for anything but can be useful practice especially since these girls are hard to hit. In general the girls in the Pan-American region tend to be fast, small, and kinda squirmy. It's already hard to hit a moving target but when they scrunch up as you try to hit them it makes things a bit harder.

i had a chance to walk around the Valencia a bit today. I saw some graffiti in the city that called Bush a facist. I think the only other place I have seen this much Anti-American sentiment on public display is Cuba. It's a little alarming and I am careful not to speak too loudly or wear anything that screams "I'm from the United States". Anyone seen Hugo Chavez's (Venezuelan leader) speeches about the United States and Bush? How could you miss his speech at the United Nations a few weeks ago? If not, make sure to google it, I think it's a classic.

Updates about the competition as they come in. There are no websites this time that will have detailed info about this tournament so this blog site is your resource. Have a great week!