Along with all the tough stuff comes some really fun stuff too... yesterday was one of those days.
When I arrived at CRISPAZ I knew that I´d have some time on my hands, especially during the winter season when it rains daily, so when I saw CRISPAZ had some old guitars at the office collecting dust I asked if I could borrow one. When I arrived many who saw me with the guitar, including Gloria's 14 year old grandson Walter, asked me if I could play... to which I responded ¨no, but I´d like to learn¨. Putting our heads together they suggested a nearby neighbor that could teach me, and last week it finally came together. His name is Luis in country terms he really is nearby (hop the barbwire fence, and walk through two neighbors yards, a right then a left and you're there). When I first met him I wasn't sure how this would all work out but since he admitted that he doesn´t own a guitar however, I quickly found out that the slightly older man really knows music. He´s got quite a history and most of which I still don't even know, but he has played in several bands and was one of the originals (founders) of a band called ¨La Cruz¨ which was pretty popular during the late part of the war (late 80s).
Anyway, he really has taught me a few things and I´m coming along well, but he invited me out with him to a ¨Concertina¨yesterday where he would be playing for a friend in Salitre. I was excited and after checking in with Melissa to make sure it was ok (she had some meetings planned with Gloria so couldn´t come along) I was off Monday morning. He told me it would be over an hour walk, we left at 7am and after a couple of stops along the way true to his word it took about 80 minutes. We left his place with 5 and met another 3 later on down the road, but what a road/path it was! After leaving the main road near where we live we walked through pastures with a variety of animals, through trees and brush, and places where there was barely a path. (I soon lost any hope of finding my way back with the help of Luis.) But the senery was breathtaking, it was something out of fairy tale; blue sky, mountains in the distance, and no sign of cars or really much of anything (including houses) for as far as the eye could see. What a sight we must have been to the cows and horses, walking through forests with guitars, an accordion, a large but light bass, a five stringed guitar, type of home-made rainmaker that served as a type of muraca... playing as we walked.
Finally our path widened out again and we found ourselves on a road passing houses hear and there. One of the members of the group asked me if I would join them in a tradition. From what I could understand upon ¨leaving¨ a place the play in they each share a drink of Tequila. He then asked if I drink Tequila to which I replied ¨not in the morning¨ which got a good laugh out of them. I quickly found out when we stopped to ask a neighbor for water that they not only drink shots after but before and pretty much until it´s gone. I joined in with them but was careful not to have to much as I figured these men had a upper hand in there tolerance levels. No one really drank too much as there was only two small bottles (12oz.) and there was eight of us to share it.
We soon found ourselves in the company of a wonderful cook who made us all breakfast after the group sang to them. At first I thought they were singing for our meal but later found out it was the same man who asked them out to the area when we came back for lunch. The place we went to sing was an open area that what resembled a dirt parking lot, but with less then half a dozen cars it soon become more of a place for the kids to play soccer. The group had incredible talents and I found that many of them (who didn't look older than me) would pass around the instruments as if they could play anything that their hands touched. I was caught up in listening to them so much that when a boy and later a man asked me to dance with a young woman there I was taken off guard. Since there was no one else dancing but plenty of people around I graciously turned down the offer. The group later found out about it and gave me a good ribbing for it.
Also one the guys in the group was strumming to the song ¨Dust in the wind¨ by Kansas and I told them I knew that song. Later while they were waiting to play he started playing it again and I took the opportunity to sing most of the song which I think caught them off guard. We also played in the church later that day, for a few dollars to a driver of a parked bus, and of course later for some drunks on the street for a drink of their Tequila. All in all I have more stories and impressions from that day than I can share but I will leave you all with this...
Ricardo, (a brillant musician with great enthusisum that he needs to move while he plays, sings, and smiles through all the songs) began a reacurring response to things that got too long or too boring that that day ¨Yo entiendo nada¨. Which means ¨I understand nothing¨, and was actually quite comidic the entire day. Just before the drunks offered us a drink for a song (which is a story in itself), one of them came up to me and was mutter something that I couldn't quite get and I could sense the eyes of everyone in the group on me. Not wanting to miss out on ideal moment I turned to him and strugged and said ¨Yo entiendo nada¨. The group (of singers) burst out laughing and I heard them repeating the story most of the way home.
All in all fabulous day!
-posted by Tom
