I noticed two things when I opened my laptop for the first time since 6:04 PM, June 24th, 2026: The first was that it was untouched, from the workspace I opened earlier that day to the YouTube video I was playing in the background. The second was that my laptop charger burned out after days plugged in, and an unsettling plastic smell came from it. That’s a setback for sure (especially now), but I will get a new one soon. In the meantime, and while my battery lasts, I will attempt to write an update.
Whatever you see on the news, whatever distant-feeling horror creeps on you while reading through article after article of what’s going on, trust me when I tell you it’s ten times worse. The double earthquake on June 24th was the greatest tragedy in my country’s modern history, greater than the 1967 Caracas earthquake or the 1999 Vargas landslide. Hundreds of buildings collapsed. Thousands of people lost their lives. Tens of thousands lost their homes. The double earthquake might’ve mainly struck the central-coastal region, but there isn't a single family, not a single person, who hasn’t been touched by this tragedy in one way or another. I am lucky to say that both my family and I came out of it alive, regardless of losing our home in the process, but many didn’t have the same luck. I don’t have a more concise way to describe how I’m feeling because, despite considering myself highly and inconveniently emotional all my life, being aware of that has left me feeling nothing but a mind-numbing dread. I don’t have a name for the feeling—I just know it’ll last for a long time.
I am physically okay. I did take a nasty fall on my way out of the apartment because I was already so weak, but that’s it. I am staying with family, so I am as okay as I could be in these circumstances. Our community has come together to offer each other support, whatever kind of support we can offer each other at this time, so if there’s one positive thing to take away from this horrible event, it’s that we’ve come together as a nation to help each other when we need it most. That alone makes me prouder of being Venezuelan than I could say.
On the subject of supporting each other, numerous rescue teams have done everything in their power to help us, putting their own lives at risk to help us get our people from under the rubble, whether it is to get them medical attention or to allow their families to say goodbye to them. Our gratitude will spread across space and time, and they will be honored and remembered for coming to our aid when we needed it most. There’s so much more I could say about this particular subject, though I can’t find the words in the midst of my pain and frustration, so I would strongly advise you guys to listen to Venezuelans first and foremost when it comes to the string of events that followed the earthquakes. There’s so much more to our grieving than you might think—30 years' worth of desperation on behalf of my people.
I would like to take a moment to thank those who have been by my side in the last couple of weeks. I feel extremely lucky to call you guys my friends, from Ettie to Drew to everyone I’ve been lucky to meet through them. And to everyone who has been following this blog in the past few years and supported me both directly and indirectly. I wish you guys nothing but happiness and prosperity.
I am no stranger to having to start all over and finding stability through loss. I am well aware of how extremely fortunate I am (I am still alive, for one, and so is my family), and I will find a way to endure through all this chaos. With that being said, let this be a reminder to whoever might come across this of how futile and precious our lives are: waste no time beating yourself up over inconsequential things—as long as you’re alive, you’re extremely lucky.
Have yourselves a happy weekend. I love you.
