My Nicaraguan cameo appearance!

These past couple days I’ve had a really unique experience. My theatre group performed a play at the National Theatre in Managua (one of the city’s few gems), and I got to be a part of it as an extra (I think there is a technical theatre term for that, but I don’t remember). I had fun and it was awesome to perform in such a beautiful venue! The play was a farcical comedy interpretation of a famous Nicaraguan legend called La Novia de Tola (the bride of Tola). It’s about a bride whose groom runs out on the wedding because his lover shows up, so the bride goes insane. I was a guest at the wedding and got to be all shocked as the priests started cursing and everyone freaked out because the groom left. The legend is one of the oldest and most famous in Nicaragua, and takes place in a small town called Tola in the southern part of the country. I know all this from a conversation with my host mom (with a little help from Wikipedia), who told me about how she had learned the same legend when she was little. This afternoon, however, when I was actually in the play, I hadn’t gotten the chance to read the script or see the first half of it, so I was fairly confused as to what was going on (e.g. who is the woman the groom runs after when he runs out of the wedding?), but I followed along and made it work. Now that I know the story, though, everything makes a lot more sense! Also, I wore a hideous bright red dress (the same color as my face when I put it on) and waaay to much make up, aided by an overeager volunteer… but I managed. Haha. Here is what the theatre looks like:



Hanging out in the green room with everyone, waiting to go on stage, was a fun way to hang out and get to know people, though I still have trouble following Nicaraguans’ quick, informal way of speaking when they are conversing amongst themselves. Usually when someone speaks directly to me, I understand, but today was a down day because I had trouble even with that. Oh well, it was humbling, and I’m glad for the exposure I’m getting. Hopefully those “I’m sorry, could you repeat that again?” instances are getting less frequent.

This weekend, three students from my classes invited me to travel with them to a nearby town, Masaya, where one of them, named Erick, lives. It is supposed to be a neat town- the center of the artisan trade- and there is a lagoon there which I’ve heard is beautiful. We are going to hang out with his family and swim in the lagoon, and just enjoy some time in nature. Overall, being the new girl and foreigner that I am, I’m just really stoked that a group of Nicaraguans invited me to do something with them! Hopefully we become better friends on the trip.

In other words, today I bought a pair of Bermuda shorts (they are like capris that end above the knee, if you are not familiar!). This is a big deal because I realized it is the one Nicaraguan fashion -which Nicaraguans actually wear- that doesn’t suffocate me (like jeans) and that I don’t find ugly (like jean skirts). I plan on wearing them nearly every day. I may need to buy more.

Well, those are all my musings for now. I hope summer, or your respective season, in Seattle/ wherever you are is wrapping up nicely. I know it is supposedly really cold up north, but I am slightly jealous. Sorry I don't have any more personal pictures to put up... but I will try to get a hold of some soon. Much love to everyone!