Not your Average Friday Night: An Adventure Featuring Pitch Darkness, Torrential Rain, and a Tango Bar

Last Friday was the most adventurous Friday night I have had in quite a while!  I usually keep things simple and relaxed (aka watching episodes of the BBC show “Jeeves and Wooster” on youtube in my pajamas while drinking tea), but this Friday I had plans to go to the theater with Lena, Corni, and Mirta, another friend that I met through El Arca!

Mirta, unlike many other El Arca friends, is in fact a citizen of Argentina (ha!).  She is a member of the Catholic Church that the El Arca residents attend on Sundays and is a good friend of the community in general.  At the annual spirituality retreat in October, Mirta helped Padre Dani with the musical aspect of the programming because she is a singer.  Mirta’s talents do not end with singing, however.  By day she fixes computers and is the loving mom of 8-year old Azul (who is so much fun!), and by night (on the weekends anyway) she acts and sings at “Teatro Ciego” (Blind Theater) in the capital.  

Teatro Ciego is like any other theater except that it puts on shows in complete darkness in order to simulate blindness for the audience.  The actors, some of whom are blind and others who are seeing, use sound affects, smells, and even a bit of touch (e.g. light rain falling on the audience) to help “construct” the scenery.  Corni, Lena and I were guided into the dark theater and to our seats by one of the actors, and for the next 90 minutes, we saw absolutely nothing.  I don’t think I have ever experienced such piercing darkness for so long.  I wondered after the fact how they achieved such darkness in a city building- they must have some secret.  The first few moments of darkness were shocking and a little unnerving.  I remember thinking to myself “so this is what it’s like to be blind-!”  I don’t think I truly comprehended what it meant to be blind before because I was simply incapable of imagining not being able to see.  Of course, just because I spent 90 minutes in a dark theater doesn’t mean I really know what it’s like to be blind, but I feel like I now have an enhanced empathy for blind people.

The theater has multiple shows going on during one season, and Mirta’s show is called “Luces de Libertad” (Lights of Liberty).  It’s a historical fiction piece about the revolution of 1810 in Argentina, told through a love story between a slave and a soldier.  Mirta played the slave.  I noticed during the performance that not only does Mirta have a beautiful singing voice- she also has a beautiful speaking voice!  I don’t think I really appreciated that beforehand because when I talk to people I tend to focus more on the person’s face than on how the person’s voice sounds.  

After the show, Mirta’s friend and fellow actor Ramiro showed us a nearby bar where Corni was able to express her love for beer (she already knows more about Quilmes, an Argentine beer, than the Argentines at El Arca).  Because I’m a wimp when it comes to alcohol, I opted for an icy Bailey’s drink.  During our time at the bar, which had a quintessential Buenos Aires feel complete with live tango music, Corni’s sense of humor really shone, and we all ended up laughing a ton.  

Ramiro, me, Lena and Corni (taken with Mirta's phone)  We need a photo with Mirta!!!

Here's a photo with Mirta (which was taken last night after the girls' trivia test):

Kait, Mirta, Romina, Rosi, Corni, me and Lena

 

I have found this year that laughter in general is so important.  I always remember that laughing more is supposed to make you live longer (or is that just an old wives’ tale?) and am reminded of that classic scene in “Mary Poppins” in which everyone laughs so hard they float to the ceiling.  There’s nothing more exhilarating than laughing so hard it hurts and feeling that you’ll never be able to stop.  Laughing makes me feel so alive and so comforted.  It’s like a reminder that in spite of the sadness and frustration I experience at times, I do have the ability to feel joy within me.  

 As the saying goes, we need to be able to laugh so we don’t cry, to really enjoy what makes life hilarious, even when there are so many reasons to feel depressed about the state of the world.  Also, if you stop to think about laughter, like I did the other day, it’s a really weird phenomenon!  It’s this bizarre noise that comes out of our mouths, and each person’s noise is unique!  I think I often associate people’s laughs with their personalities- your laugh makes you you!

Our adventure didn’t end at the bar.  On the long, 1 AM bus ride back to my house where I had invited Lena and Corni to spend the night, it started to pour.  During the last several blocks before our stop, the bus inched along and kept making disconcerting noises as if the engine were about to die.  Luckily, we made it to our bus stop, but during the four block walk to my house, we got absolutely soaked.  We were in need of a real “arca” (ark)!  All things considered, it was a really fun and meaningful evening, and I’m glad I shook up my schedule a bit and left the next Jeeves and Wooster episode for some other time.