This is an older protest pic from Wikipedia Commons in case the ones I embedded from Instagram get taken down

Yesterday there were huge protests in Venezuela. It was a planned event so most of the international schools countrywide decided to give the students a day off (though mine required me to send work for them to do at home), and teachers only had a half-day.

My local friends told me that people started walking to Caracas on Tuesday to bring awareness of the protest on Thursday. Many people were said to have problems at various checkpoints along the highways, but the streets were pretty quiet here in Valencia.

I went home to my apartment and then went to the gym much earlier than normal (one of my old salsa dance teachers challenged me to a “Daily Showdown” on Fitbit so I couldn’t skip the gym even though staying inside is recommend for expats during protests). At the plaza where my gym is located many of the shops and restaurants that are always open were closed and their merchandise was taken down from the display windows where it normally is. I saw one swimsuit store that was nearly bare because everything was just emptied from the store. I think this was simply a preventative measure. The protest has been very peaceful today in Valencia.

A photo posted by DoBa 🐜📷⚽️ (@donaldobarros) on Sep 1, 2016 at 9:33am PDT

They were quiet here until 8PM on Thursday night and then cars started honking their horns and people started banging on their pots and pans to make as much noise as they could. Here this is called a “cacerolazo”.  Some people were whistling, some were ringing bells, some had blow horns, some people let off some fireworks a bit later, but it seems like the majority of the ones I can hear around my neighorhood have pots and pans.

My window doesn’t have a good view, but I wanted to share what a protest sounds like in Valencia. #Valencia #Venezuela #protest #travel

A video posted by Amanda (@teachingwanderlust) on Sep 1, 2016 at 7:15pm PDT

I made a short video clip and posted it to instagram (so if you follow me on Instagram at Teachingwanderlust) you have probably have already seen it.  I can’t get videos uploaded onto my blog anymore. 😦

Dios bendiga nuestro país. #Repost @edgarramirez25 ・・・ Witnessing this crisis, so deep, so painful, so shameful, so unjustified…To us,Venezuelans who want a change of government, there’s little more to say. The recall vote (revocatory referendum) is clearly established in our constitution, and it is our right to activate it with no further delay. It’s not a favor nor a prerogative, it’s our RIGHT. Within the constitution everything, outside the constitution nothing. Today 9/1 we exercise our constitutional right to protest in all corners of the planet, because wherever there’s a Venezuelan, #Venezuela will be #tomadecaracas #yorevoco [ shot today in #Caracas by @donaldobarros Thank you for your courage & sensitivity ]

A photo posted by Scarlet Gruber (@scarlet_gruber) on Sep 1, 2016 at 1:05pm PDT

People were protesting for a variety of reasons, but I will leave you with the words of the professionals about this matter:

BBC: Hundreds of thousands take part in rival marches

CNN: Venezuela protests: Demonstrators flood streets, demand recall vote

NPR: Venezuelans Take To The Streets In Protest Against The Government

Washington Post: Venezuela police fire tear gas after protest

NBC News: ‘We’re Hungry’: Thousands Protest in Venezuela’s ‘Toma de Caracas’

I’m happy that the protest stayed peaceful. Stay safe friends. I hope things change for the better in Venezuela.