A Recipe for Fluency
Last night my spinning head dictated that I should speak no more Spanish. I obeyed and went out, with my new house mates, to a local bar named Riki's because we had heard that there would be a concert there.
It was no ordinary concert. The remaining members of the Buena Vista Social Club, Ibrahim Ferrer and Ruben Gonzalez, were playing along with a supporting band. They live in the outskirts of Guatemala city and frequently play this tiny venue which is really just an annex to a bar here in Antigua.
When we arrived the room was completely packed full of hot and sweaty people. Some were at tables but most were sitting on the floor or standing. It was very cramped but the atmosphere was electric. After some negociation we managed to get a space on a table right at the very front. The view was incredible and I wished I had brought my camera to the bar. These old guys really know how to perform.
Towards the end of the first set they called for people to come and dance and somehow a tiny space was made at the front of the room and a couple danced salsa. They spun and flailed seductively on the postage stamp-sized piece of floor.
After a short break the band started again and everyone started to dance. Few knew how to but that wasn't the point. The band loved it!
The second half eventually ended but we stayed for a while to finish our drinks. Sometime later I found that my spinning head had eased and my linguistic skills returned. I decided that it was time to try out my Spanish on the Cubans.
Ibrahim Ferrer and I chatted about Havana, the National Hotel where he worked for many years and the terrible Chinese bicycles that I remember overtaking uphill when I cycled in Cuba. The very basic machines only have a single gear and are bought very cheaply in parts from Asia to be assembled in Cuba. I told him about my trip, the people I met and my impressions of Havana and the countryside. Clearly drinking and dancing, not books and exercises, are the key to speaking Spanish. I must sign off as I have "homework" to do.
It was no ordinary concert. The remaining members of the Buena Vista Social Club, Ibrahim Ferrer and Ruben Gonzalez, were playing along with a supporting band. They live in the outskirts of Guatemala city and frequently play this tiny venue which is really just an annex to a bar here in Antigua.
When we arrived the room was completely packed full of hot and sweaty people. Some were at tables but most were sitting on the floor or standing. It was very cramped but the atmosphere was electric. After some negociation we managed to get a space on a table right at the very front. The view was incredible and I wished I had brought my camera to the bar. These old guys really know how to perform.
Towards the end of the first set they called for people to come and dance and somehow a tiny space was made at the front of the room and a couple danced salsa. They spun and flailed seductively on the postage stamp-sized piece of floor.
After a short break the band started again and everyone started to dance. Few knew how to but that wasn't the point. The band loved it!
The second half eventually ended but we stayed for a while to finish our drinks. Sometime later I found that my spinning head had eased and my linguistic skills returned. I decided that it was time to try out my Spanish on the Cubans.
Ibrahim Ferrer and I chatted about Havana, the National Hotel where he worked for many years and the terrible Chinese bicycles that I remember overtaking uphill when I cycled in Cuba. The very basic machines only have a single gear and are bought very cheaply in parts from Asia to be assembled in Cuba. I told him about my trip, the people I met and my impressions of Havana and the countryside. Clearly drinking and dancing, not books and exercises, are the key to speaking Spanish. I must sign off as I have "homework" to do.
posted by Brigitte at 9:58 PM
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