Carnival is the series of last hurrahs before the beginning of Lent, the 40 days preceding Easter during which devout Catholics often abstain from eating meat and partying. Maybe you've heard about the famous festivals in Brazil, which includes street parties, music, dancing and masquerading. (Think New Orlean's Mardi Gras on steroids.)
Around here, the most common manifestation of the Carnival season is water fights. Basically, any person in any public place is prone to be wet at any moment. Most common players: school-aged boys. Most common targets: adolescent girls. Most common aftermath: targeted girls scream, and may pick up sticks and rush toward the boys. Sticks are sometimes substituted with the hand. Boys quickly flee. Girls stand aghast for a few minutes at the site of attack, comparing the wetness of their clothes, and then continue--albeit soggily--on their way.
My friend Abby and I were so lucky to be such a target. It actually happened a few weeks ago (more or less, it seems that the Carnival season begins as soon as boys buy water balloons, even if Lent is still weeks away). We were walking home from the bus, happily chatting. There was a boy, probably 13, standing on the side of the sidewalk a few feet ahead of us. I saw him, we made brief eye contact, and we kept walking. But in the next moment, a whole pack of boys--probably 6 total--was upon us, dumping buckets of frigid water and smashing water balloons on us. We were so surprised, we basically just stood there and took it! I think I sputtered something like, "Ahh! Que malo! Todavia no es Carnival!" (Ahh! How cruel! It's not carnival yet!) But they were gone. We laughed hysterically the rest of the way home.
A few pictures we took at the end of the next block.
5 comments:
That is so random!!! I love it!
u should fill some water guns with spoiled milk and give those little bastards whats coming to em. sounds fun for real tho.
Oye Brit!
Leyi tu blog y me encantaaaa! Que tal la comida? Y que estidias por alla? Y como es tu programa con los Bretherens? Hay un focus? Y que bueno ques tienes hermanos chiquitos...cuando fui a Mexico estaba con una familia con Hector, mi primo de 14 anos. De veras pienso que el tuvo crush para mi...pero que hermosooooooo
okay pues to extrano mucho y TKM--te kiero muchooo
NOS VEMOSSSSSSSS
alexa
OK se me olvido otra cosa...
es que leyi tu blog en vos alta para mis companeras de casa...y escribes tan bueno!!!! claro que si...pero OK BYEEEE
ok. so i know ur in the amazon or whatever, but get ur shit together, find an air conditioned internet cafe, and write damnit.
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