Zacatecas
October 22nd- October 29th
Theme of the week: Non-Violent Organization
Jesus, Laura, Montse, and Chuyito Moreno Sifuantes
Santa (From Atlanta)
10-22-18 Monday
Travel Day!!! It was a four hour bus ride from Durango to Zacatecas. I sat next to Andree (From Sweden) on the bus, and had a very deep conversation with him. When we arrived in Zacatecas, we got to see the Promotion Representatives Hidde (From the Netherlands) and Karen (From Mexico). These are my two favorite PR's! Then the cast got to go Zip Lining over the entire city of Zacatecas. The buildings and houses are so close together that you can barely see streets in between. Also there is every single color painted within the walls of the city. It's truly a beautiful site to see, and we got to zip line on top of it! Then host pick up was in a building in the center of the town. We got to watch a traditional Mexican Dance called Folclore. I had asked Hidde to host me with Santa, and he made it happen!!! Then we met our host family and they are amazing! They have two kids ages 15 and 16. They went across the street and bought us Mexican Churros, and it was the best thing I have ever tasted in my life. Holy Cow! Their house is very nice and has three stories. Santa and I have two separate beds, our own bathroom, and the entire top floor to ourselves. I could not figure out how to turn the cold water on in the shower, so I froze to death. I figured it out later though... gotta love Spanish! This is a great week:)
10-23-18 Tuesday
There was a backing track show today on a small stage in the middle of the street in Fresnillo. We performed on a small circular stage while it was pouring rain. This week is extremely production heavy with two BTS's, an Acoustic Promo, and three full Mexican Tour Shows!! It's a rally week for sure. Our host family took us out after dinner. We walked around downtown and saw beautiful buildings, Mexican food vendors, shops, and many Uppies. I really wanted to buy a specific maroon sweater that has a Mexican design on it, so my host family took me to six different shops till I found the perfect one! My host brother and I got matching ponchos. We saw churros in the street again and we got another one. They are so freaking good!
10-24-18 Wednesday
In the morning, a smaller group of us went to the university UPZ. We did many activities with the college students like world dance classes, playing soccer, and planting trees. During lunch, the principal of the school had an entire banquet prepared for us. He made a speech about how Vive la Gente's existence is positively impacting the world. Then he gave each volunteer a certificate and souvenirs. After our time in the university, we had another backing track show in a new venue. This time we were outside, but under a roof that blocked the rain. It was raining so hard because there is a hurricane that is hitting the cities around us. After the BTS we drove an hour from Fresnillo back to Zacatecas. Then the cast learned the Swedish Medley because we go to Europe in two weeks!
10-28-18 Sunday
My amazing host family let me sleep in, and then my mom made the most amazing breakfast. She is the cook, and makes wonderful Mexican dishes. I have been spoiled this week with her food. Then I needed to wash my clothes for the week, but they don't have a dryer. I got the full experience of hanging my clothes up on a clothes line in the heart of Mexico! Then we went to watch the movie Coco in the theaters. There was taki flavored popcorn! The movie was in Spanish and I was amazed at how much I could understand. Then we walked around downtown to look for souvenirs. We bought some churros again! This is the one of the best host families I have had so far. At the end of the night, we wrote letters to each other and cried because we did not want to leave. In my host family book, they wrote four pages of heart warming notes. They said that I was part of their family, and that I could come back anytime I wanted. They signed the letter by saying tu papa, y tu mam, y tu hermanos. It was amazing to see how close I could get to a random family in Mexico who doesn't even speak English. Sometimes I zoom out and wonder how the heck I got so lucky to be getting this experience.
10-24-18 Wednesday
In the morning, a smaller group of us went to the university UPZ. We did many activities with the college students like world dance classes, playing soccer, and planting trees. During lunch, the principal of the school had an entire banquet prepared for us. He made a speech about how Vive la Gente's existence is positively impacting the world. Then he gave each volunteer a certificate and souvenirs. After our time in the university, we had another backing track show in a new venue. This time we were outside, but under a roof that blocked the rain. It was raining so hard because there is a hurricane that is hitting the cities around us. After the BTS we drove an hour from Fresnillo back to Zacatecas. Then the cast learned the Swedish Medley because we go to Europe in two weeks!
10-25-18 Thursday
SICK DAY!!!!!!! I slept for six hours, worked on my camp application, my blog, and the parent newsletter. It was a productive, relaxing day that will prepare for the three shows this week. I had some time to do a devotional with this view... on the balcony of my host family's house. When santa got home, we went out for american hambergers!
10-26-18 Friday
Today we have two shows in Zacatecas. It was an emotional roller coaster because this week was so production heavy. It is so exhausting to do one show a week, let alone two shows in one day. Our host family came to the show that started at 9:00pm and were very supportive of our performance. This show was the best time that I personally sang Keep Hope Alive since the tour started. I felt very accomplished even though no one was in the audience to notice. Also Nasya sang crossroads for the first time this show, and he cried when he came off stage out of happiness because it was a huge accomplishment for him! It was a great show. But the day in general was really long, and difficult. Then we had a superstrike after a full day of set-up along with two shows. It was crazy!!
10-27-18 Saturday
Today is the last production day of this crazy rally week. We had a set-up, rehearsal, a show, and another superstrike. We were in Fresnillo, and it is a very dangerous city in Mexico. We could not walk the streets unless we were in groups of five or six. During the morning, the cast had some free time to walk around and shop. We finally got to act like tourist and just explore the city. The show went really well at night. It was one of the best shows of the tour so far! Then we had to take down the whole stage in an hour. Then we hopped on the long bus ride back to Zacatecas. The busses were so nasty, and the doors in the back did not shut. It was long, cold, bumpy, and smelly bus ride back. Then we didn't get to bed until 2:00 in the morning! Its been a ridiculous week, but these are the most memorable experiences.
My amazing host family let me sleep in, and then my mom made the most amazing breakfast. She is the cook, and makes wonderful Mexican dishes. I have been spoiled this week with her food. Then I needed to wash my clothes for the week, but they don't have a dryer. I got the full experience of hanging my clothes up on a clothes line in the heart of Mexico! Then we went to watch the movie Coco in the theaters. There was taki flavored popcorn! The movie was in Spanish and I was amazed at how much I could understand. Then we walked around downtown to look for souvenirs. We bought some churros again! This is the one of the best host families I have had so far. At the end of the night, we wrote letters to each other and cried because we did not want to leave. In my host family book, they wrote four pages of heart warming notes. They said that I was part of their family, and that I could come back anytime I wanted. They signed the letter by saying tu papa, y tu mam, y tu hermanos. It was amazing to see how close I could get to a random family in Mexico who doesn't even speak English. Sometimes I zoom out and wonder how the heck I got so lucky to be getting this experience.
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