Happiness

WOOT, WOOT! Have you ever been to a ballet? Have you ever been to a MEXICAN ballet? I had been debating about going because would cost $600 pesos (≈ $50 USD). I decided to go and there is no doubt in my mind that it was worth EVERY penny! The traditional costumes and dances were fantastic. A few of my favorites were la Danza del Venado, Fiesta en Tlacotalpan, and Danza de la Reata. The Deer Dance, La Danza del Venado, is done by the Yaqui people who still hunt with bows and arrows. This dance is in preparation for a hunt and a man dresses up with a deer head on his own head dances as a deer. It’s incredible how he can move his body- so, so skillful. Danza de la Reata is a dance with a cowboy and a lasso. It’s so cool what a person can do with a lasso! I’m talking about every sort of trick you can imagine. The lasso above him. The lasso around him. Jumping in, jumping out. Lassoing and at the same time as kissing a girl who’s in the circle with him... oooo so sexy. Ha, ha. The other dance Fiesta en Tlacotalpan is insane. There are huge figures with people inside of them moving the arms and legs. It’s kinda scary and it makes a person wonder what sort of plants grow in their forest...



Another cool cultural thing is salsa. There are tons of styles and it’s different than what I learned in Costa Rica. I feel like such sack of potatoes, but a Mexicano gave me a 7 out of 10 for Gringas he has danced with that. I don’t know how I feel about that.... especially since he had prefaced this with “Gringas don’t know how to move”. HAHAHA!!! Poco a poco, (little by little) because I could dance aaaaaall night. Something else funny, my brother Luis Felipe told me “You look like a Mexican until you open your mouth”. He said this to me when we were at a formal, formal graduation. High graduations are a HUGE deal here. I’m talking about black tie events- four course meal with servers with white gloves on, 6 or 7 pieces of silverware, a glass for water, a glass for white wine, a glass for red wine. And the best part? A MARIACHI BAND!!!! What was I doing there?? Foreign, awkward, and clumsy. I dropped ice all over the table, dipped my bread in my soup (oops! :) ), knocked a chair over almost falling over myself, and to top it off I stabbed a girl with my elbow. I’m awkward... Pero no me importa. Estoy loca. Da iqual. HAHAHA!! Luis told me I can do whatever I want and get away with it because I’m foreign. What a nice brother. He did a great job introducing me to everyone and explaining the cultural significance of the different things.

I did have a wonderful time there. Most of the time, I felt comfortable. I was sooo pleased when people complimented me on my Spanish and I felt accepted. It was such a different experience being the only foreigner, speaking strictly Spanish, and trying to fit in with a normal social event. It was the first time I ripped the ¡¡GRINGA!! label off my forehead and put it in my pocket. There’s a lot of work left to do but how amazing is it to feel wanted, awkward or not?