Hope this one was worth the wait... I finally have some pictures! My camera decided to cooperate, so now I’m gonna do a lot of backtracking to explain them all. I put the link at the end, but you can look at them first if you prefer. Ready?¡Vaminos! (yes I did learn that one from Dora).
So, my last full day in the US this summer was the Fourth of July. Fitting, right? I sat on the dock by my friend Jamie’s boat watching the fireworks explode overhead as people wearing red, white, and blue chatted and snacked. Afterwords, we joined the crowd of people waiting patiently in line for the public bus, and then returned home where I continued to pack (obviously I left almost everything for the night before). All in all, a fun, low-key Independence Day.
About 2 weeks after I got here was 19 de julio, or Dia de la Revolucion Sandinista. This marks when the FSLN (the Sandinistas, a huge social movement/political party) defeated the Somoza dictatorship in 1979. So, in a sense, similar to an independence day. I can’t give you a history lesson, because I’m still learning myself, and I’m not quite ready to comment on the political relationship between Nicaragua and the US. Another day, for sure. Right now, my goal is to enlighten you on how the people here celebrate their revolution. A little more extravagant then how we do ours, to say the least.
It’s hard to get ready for a celebration when you have no idea what to expect, the most important question being, of course,WHAT DO I WEAR? I threw on a red shirt, knowing the FSLN colors are red and black. When I came out of my room, Armando looked me over, and then handed me a black and red bandana. “You look almost Nica!” Doña Laura said chucking at me as I gratefully put it on with a big fat smile on my face. Armando and I left and piled into the back of our friend’s pick-up truck, the only acceptable mode of transportation to the plaza on the 19 de julio. And the madness began.
I can’t even begin to explain the amount of people. Macy’s Parade? Nothing. Mardi Gras? Close, but no cigar. The pictures don’t do it justice, but I literally think the crowd was carrying me because my feet could not move fast enough to keep up with the mass of people I was being smashed into. We finally made it out of the bottleneck and close to the plaza where we staked out a spot to stand right next to a speaker system.
At first, there wasn’t a lot going on. Someone was making a speech, but I was paying more attention to the crowd of people in black and red FSLN gear, drinking a ton of Toña and yelling and walking around aimlessly. Then there was cheering; I guess it was over? The 2011 FLSN campaign song started and someone set off a ton of fireworks. Now, these weren’t the big, far-off 4th of July kind, but rather chaotic blasting mortars shooting into the sky with flashes and smoke! We were so close I could taste them. Really. A piece of one fell in my hair. Safety codes? Hah. I did say that they preferred mode of transportation was to pile in trucks, right?
I guess the fire hazard was the signal to get the party started, because the music kept blaring, the people kept drinking, and EVERYONE was dancing! Seriously, that is how every national holiday should be! Meagie, Armando and I went into the heart of it where the lights set the stage for the mass of pink and white 2011 FLSN campaign T-shirts. It was crazy. We returned back to the party, and well, I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
After the party we were pretty hungry, so the next logical step was of to convince Burger King that they should let us in even though they were trying to close. Now, this isn’t any sort of fast food joint you’ve seen in the US. There were flat screen TVS. And they served beer. In pitchers. Dane Cook’s BK Lounge, anyone? We ended the night at my house, hanging out and continuing the ridiculousness. I don’t think I have ever been more exhausted in my life. Now I understand what they mean by holiday here :)
So here we go....
- A link to the theme song of the day! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdcSlGa5rTM
- The BK lounge, if you don’t know it...only the first 25 secs are necessary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cecP70q3mkE
- and the pictures! I put descriptions on them to help explain! Hit slideshow in the top right corner, and then hit show info! http://www.flickr.com/photos/calicasinica/sets/72157627567128006/
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario