Back in 1912 the world was a different place.
World War I had not begun, the Republic of China was a brand new country, the same way that Arizona and New Mexico were new states, also, Turkey was still the Ottoman Empire and Hungary and Austria were still Austro-Hungary, not to mention Germany being the German Empire. The RMS Titanic left Southhampton and shortly sunk after crashing with an iceberg. Fenwy park opened and the 3rd Olympic games were held in Sweden. Emperor Meiji died and the first Balkan war started.
In 1912 both Shoenberg and Mahler were having their works premiered in Vienna while a film director named D.W. Griffith premiered a short film called The Musketeers of Pig Alley, one of the earliest films about organised crime. Many books were published, amongst them one written by Sir Arthur Conna Doyle named The Lost World, inspired by the Tepuis, some ancient table-top mountains located mostly in Venezuela, a country in South America.
Venezuela at the time was ruled with an ironfist by general Juan Vicente Gmez, also known as El Benemrito (The Meritorious One) or El Bagre (The Catfish). Back then, the country was called the United States of Venezuela, its people survived more or less by the export of agriculture products, the only real city being its capital Caracas; at least until a couple of years later when the first oil deposits were discovered. However, what Venezuela lacked in industrial development or big constructions, it made up with atonishing natural beauty and an uncommon joy amongst its people. With the cristal-clear Caribbean Sea to the north, the awe-inspiring Amazonic Jungle to the south, across the Great Plains or the Andes Mountain, venezuelans managed to get along thinking themselves blessed with such a natural paradise, working every day with the hope of building a better future for the generations to come. Needless to say this was accomplished only by hard work, with little industrial development and close-to-none big cities, venzuelans had only their two hands to build the country. This was specially notorious in small rural towns like Mitare, located to the north in the state of Falcn.
Precisely in Mitare, in 1912, at the time of El Benemerito, a boy by the name of Angel Santa Ana Polanco was born. He grew up to become a good son, working hard to send money back home. He grew up to become a loving husband to his dear Rosa, who left to wait for him at the other side almost 12 years ago. He grew up to become a great father, raising two children; caring for them, educating them, teaching them the values of family and a job well done, sharing what he knew, history, politics, sports, life itself. He grew up to become a loving grandfather, maybe a little silent by nature, but always having time to give his grandsons and grandaugthers "La Bendicin", a hug and a kiss (bendicin is a venezuelan, and latino, tradition of asking your elders for their blessing every time you greet them or say goodbye).
In 99 years, ngel (from who I got my second name) earned the respect and love of his family and his friends. All of us feel lucky to have shared what time we had with him, and we go to work, or bed (since we are scattered arround the globe) knowing well that pap, to and abuelito is finally home, cause this friday, very early and before dawn, ngel left us to go, and finally, meet again with Rosa.
Educated in the view that life is just a stage of our existance, I don't cry, but celebrate the life of my grandfather, and share a secret smile with myself at knowing that wherever paradise is, he is in the good company of his parents, brothers, sisters and his beloved wife.
Goodbye abuelito. and bendicin
Angel Santa Ana Polanco 1912-2011
World War I had not begun, the Republic of China was a brand new country, the same way that Arizona and New Mexico were new states, also, Turkey was still the Ottoman Empire and Hungary and Austria were still Austro-Hungary, not to mention Germany being the German Empire. The RMS Titanic left Southhampton and shortly sunk after crashing with an iceberg. Fenwy park opened and the 3rd Olympic games were held in Sweden. Emperor Meiji died and the first Balkan war started.
In 1912 both Shoenberg and Mahler were having their works premiered in Vienna while a film director named D.W. Griffith premiered a short film called The Musketeers of Pig Alley, one of the earliest films about organised crime. Many books were published, amongst them one written by Sir Arthur Conna Doyle named The Lost World, inspired by the Tepuis, some ancient table-top mountains located mostly in Venezuela, a country in South America.
Venezuela at the time was ruled with an ironfist by general Juan Vicente Gmez, also known as El Benemrito (The Meritorious One) or El Bagre (The Catfish). Back then, the country was called the United States of Venezuela, its people survived more or less by the export of agriculture products, the only real city being its capital Caracas; at least until a couple of years later when the first oil deposits were discovered. However, what Venezuela lacked in industrial development or big constructions, it made up with atonishing natural beauty and an uncommon joy amongst its people. With the cristal-clear Caribbean Sea to the north, the awe-inspiring Amazonic Jungle to the south, across the Great Plains or the Andes Mountain, venezuelans managed to get along thinking themselves blessed with such a natural paradise, working every day with the hope of building a better future for the generations to come. Needless to say this was accomplished only by hard work, with little industrial development and close-to-none big cities, venzuelans had only their two hands to build the country. This was specially notorious in small rural towns like Mitare, located to the north in the state of Falcn.
Precisely in Mitare, in 1912, at the time of El Benemerito, a boy by the name of Angel Santa Ana Polanco was born. He grew up to become a good son, working hard to send money back home. He grew up to become a loving husband to his dear Rosa, who left to wait for him at the other side almost 12 years ago. He grew up to become a great father, raising two children; caring for them, educating them, teaching them the values of family and a job well done, sharing what he knew, history, politics, sports, life itself. He grew up to become a loving grandfather, maybe a little silent by nature, but always having time to give his grandsons and grandaugthers "La Bendicin", a hug and a kiss (bendicin is a venezuelan, and latino, tradition of asking your elders for their blessing every time you greet them or say goodbye).
In 99 years, ngel (from who I got my second name) earned the respect and love of his family and his friends. All of us feel lucky to have shared what time we had with him, and we go to work, or bed (since we are scattered arround the globe) knowing well that pap, to and abuelito is finally home, cause this friday, very early and before dawn, ngel left us to go, and finally, meet again with Rosa.
Educated in the view that life is just a stage of our existance, I don't cry, but celebrate the life of my grandfather, and share a secret smile with myself at knowing that wherever paradise is, he is in the good company of his parents, brothers, sisters and his beloved wife.
Goodbye abuelito. and bendicin
Angel Santa Ana Polanco 1912-2011
Great lines!