Oye! Today was terrific! I had a nice morning chatting with Paula and Jessica at a cafe and learned all the words that I'm not supposed to learn. Class was fine and as of today I feel like I'm learning, but at a snail's pace. But let me tell you about the best part of the day......... SALSA! I went to a salsa dance school this afternoon. It was quite an experience. I took the bus and met Jessica there (she is a salsa fool and she laid the ground work at the school). I got there and could hear the music from the street. The school is on the second floor with 5 open windows and little balconies. There is a flourescent light in the stairway, the plaster is peeling, there is crap everywhere, and at the top of the stairs I was greeted by the illustrious Sr. Frijol. That's right everybody, my teacher's name is Mr. Bean. He is a fantastic man. Probably in his 60s, speaks no english, looks like he's lived a hard life, had his lit cigarette sitting in a cigarette box, and greeted me with a crooked smile. After I paid him ($30 for classes available 12 hours a day, 5 days a week for a full month) he took my money, made the sign of the cross with it and put it in his drawer. He took Jes and I into the dance room, started the fans, because it is without air conditioners and the windows are wide open. He taught me the basic step, and I am terrible :-). I can't really hear the rhythm that he wants me to follow, but as long as he is dancing by my side, I'm ok. There were no other students there, so he took turns teaching me and dancing with Jessica. The two of them were like a match made in heaven, dancing like they've been paired up for years. She has been dancing for almost two years, so now I know what I can look like if I practice.
It was HOT up there, and I was sweating like, well, insert your own comparison... and Sr. Frijol stopped me and in spanish told me "you look like a shrimp" because I had turned so red. I laughed until I almost peed. We danced for an hour and then left for home.
I ran into some people from the school on the bus and they told me that they had been successful in making a reservation for me in Santiago Tuxtla, a little city two hours away that I'm dying to visit. From there I will visit Catemaco, a jungle-like area with a place called "isla de los monos" or monkey island. And I've also heard that there are "brujas" there that will do a spiritual cleansing... if you can find them... and I will! So, I may not be able to write for a day or so, so stay tuned in for the next installment. Hugs, Tracey
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