Firsts in Leon

This past weekend I was introduced to several things in Leon:

1. My first local concert—On Friday, after much internal debate, I decided I should venture out of my comfort zone and go meet some people. Leon could be a very lonely place otherwise. Just going up to someone and starting a conversation is not an easy thing for me (especially when most foreigners here are in groups of 2-3 or more and already know each other because they stay in the same hostel or volunteer together, and the case is even more so with the locals). But I knew it would be good to force myself. Apparently, there are weekly Friday concerts at Via Via (a hostel/bar/café and concert venue, I guess). The place was pretty crowded when I got there, but it was a good mix of foreigners and locals. The band was playing covers of rock classics so I immediately liked them. After the first set, Quetzaltrekkers—a local NGO that organizes hikes to the many volcanoes in the vicinity to help street kids in Leon and which is mostly run by foreign volunteers—announced they were organizing a beach party the following day at Las Peñitas (see previous post). Since I had been planning to return to the beaches one weekend, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. I managed to strike up a conversation with some of the guides; later, one of my colleagues also showed up, and the concert continued. So, all in all, it was a fun night and a great introduction to Leon’s nightlife. I imagine I will be at Via Via almost every Friday.

2. My first local bus ride—Staying true to my initiative to meet more people, I decided to go to the beach party on Saturday and spend the night at one of the hostels there. Getting to Las Peñitas involved taking a taxi to one of the local bus stations and then getting on a super crowded school bus (yes, most buses used for public transportation here are old US school buses). The bus didn’t leave for another 40 minutes, so we were all sweating our butts off in the meantime. I saw some of the people from the previous night and started talking to them, so at least I wasn’t bored. What really impressed me though was when a woman and her daughter squeezed together on their seat to make space for me to sit next to them. That’s what’s amazing about people here. They are just so nice. The little girl looked at me with curiosity. After all, I was one of only two white women on the bus and resembled a giant, since most people here (men and women) usually reach only up to my shoulder. The bus continued to crowd. It was definitely nice to have a seat, but as you can imagine, given that this was a school bus, the space between the seats was quite insufficient for my legs. Well, somehow, with one knee pressed up against the seat in front of me and the other pointing into the aisle I managed to survive the ride (which by the way took over an hour, although the distance was only 20 kms). At least, once we got on our way, the breeze coming in from the open windows alleviated the heat.

3. My first local party—The party turned out not to be much of a party. The speakers weren´t big enough to blast music and people pretty much just sat around the tables at the bar of the hostel that was hosting us. However, we were right on the beach, had some live music, and the beach bonfire added to the atmosphere. There was night swimming (I didn´t participate since I am a little bit cautious to venture into the ocean´s strong waves in the dark when I don´t know the beach), eating, drinking, and plenty of conversation. I met almost all of the guides from Quetzaltrekkers, and they kept trying to convince me (although they really didn´t need to, since I was convinced already) to go on one of the volcano hikes. It was interesting (but I guess not surprising) to note the division between “cheles” (Nica slang for whites/foreigners) and locals. There was some intermixing but for the most part each group stuck to themselves. I think some people lasted till morning but I grew really tired at 2 am and went to bed (yeah, I can definitely tell the difference between myself and the 20- to 24-year olds—they have loads more energy). The next day involved swimming, hanging out on the beach, and watching the Spain-Italy Euro2008 quarterfinal. By the time I got home at 4:30pm, I was super beat. I think the sun, strong waves, and uncomfortable sleep (I am not used to sleeping in dorms of 6 people anymore) had its toll on me. But I felt happy.