A New Hobby

I guess the rainy day yesterday was good for more than a nap--I picked up a new hobby: guitar! Alejandro has taken it upon himself to teach me how to play (he´s self-taught). Everyone makes playing the guitar look so easy, but it´s kinda tough! At least at the beginning stages it is. I mean, I have never received any kind of guitar lesson, seen a guitar book, nothing. I think every time I´ve come in contact with a guitar I´ve just picked it up and randomly strummed the strings and then got bored because I didn´t know what I was doing. Anyhoo, yesterday I learned 6 basic chords (I hope I still remember them today) and am learning a very, very basic ¨song.¨ Alejandro is great at explaining and showing me how to play, despite the fact that he´s never had a formal lesson himself--he taught himself from books. He´s also very patient and sat through my initial complaints that my fingertips hurt, my fingers are too small, maybe I need a smaller guitar, etc. But slowly but surely I´m picking this guitar stuff up! I´m excited to learn to play another instrument because I have to admit, I kind of miss playing the piano and will have to wait until I´m back in DC to start practicing that again. Who knows, maybe it won´t be me returning to the states but the next Jimi Hendrix (riiiight......). hah

It´s almost Carnaval time here, which is February 5th. All that means is that there´s a 4-day weekend, which means hopefully I´ll be doing some traveling. Also, it means that people throw water balloons at each other in the streets, and gringos are often a prime target. (I still don´t understand why getting people wet is part of this holiday, but whatever.) Someone tried to soak me from a car last week, but they didn´t have very good aim from a moving car and the water balloon hit the pavement right in front of me but didn´t even get my shoes wet. Booyah! Anyway, I feel a little paranoid walking around during this ¨holiday¨ time which apparently lasts like 2 weeks. Last week I saw two gringos get water balloons dropped on them from an open window. I can´t say it looked like much fun. I guess I have good reason to be paranoid. I´m planning on staying alert and making it past February 5th nice and dry (not counting the constant rainstorms).