Our next stop in Mexico was Culiacán, which the cast was kind of nervous about going to because Culiacán had been in the Mexican news for quite awhile before we got there, due to drug-related violence. The story that we got from host families and from others was that during World War II Culiacán was vital in the manufacturing of drugs that went out to the troops over in Europe. But long after the war was over, the sale and manufacturing of drugs remained, and Culiacán, over time, has become a major midpoint between the drug cartels in South America, and the dealers in the United States. In recent months, there has been some deadly skirmishes between the drug people and the local law enforcement, resulting in the deaths of over 300 police officers.
So, needless to say, some of the people in the cast were worried about being in the city, but at the very beginning of the week, the staff assured us that they would never put us in harm's way. They likened Culiacán to any US city with violence, telling us that there are safe and not-so-safe places for us to go, and to always stick with the group or with our host families. That made all of us feel better, and honestly nothing happened to the cast while we were there, and Culiacán ended up being one of the nicest cities on the tour.
My host family in Culiacán was a really cool older couple named Manuel and Celia Franco Ramos, and my roommate was Gijs (pronounced: [clear your throat]-ice) from the Netherlands. This was a special week in regards to my host family because my host parents' daughter hosted Colin from Texas and Frederik from the Netherlands. I joked to Colin and Freddy that they had to call me Uncle Stew throughout the week. So, in essence I had two host families in one; it was sort of like a "buy one host family, get one free" sort of deal. Our second night in Culiacán, we had the best spread of food to date, and it was extra-special since that spread of food was mostly seafood, so I kind of felt like I was home. The best part of the meal was the pulpo, which is octopus with lemon juice. Once I got used to eating the suction cups on the tentacles, it was smooth sailing for me.
It was in Culiacán that I had my most favorite and interesting CI. We stopped at APAC, which is a day school for children and adults with Cerebral Palsy and various other disabilities. It was so interesting for me to see what was going on because it was so different from what happens in the United States. First off, there were people there from the ages of 5 months to 45 years old. Secondly, they were using therapies that I had never seen before, (they had a swing-like contraption that they strapped their clients to and swung for three minutes. There are circles of thought that says that motion helps people with CP with their development) and they were using therapies there that I thought hadn't been in use for decades, such as the electric shock therapies.
It was cool, because while my Cast B compatriots were busy pulling weeds and painting walls, I had the honor of observing the classroom with the really little kids and helping them with some of the therapies. I also made really good friends with the workers there, who, I could tell, thought of these children as their own. At the end of the day, it was the litte kids' turn on the swing, and the staff invited me to get on there, which I thought was really cool. So, for three minutes I was swinging, and who knows if it helped me, but it was an unforgettable experience nonetheless. Thanks to everyone at APAC-Culiacán!
We performed two shows in Culiacán, and it was kind of refreshing, because instead of being on an 8-foot-high removable stage, we performed on a basketball court that was the same level as the audience. This particular week we had two shows. On the first night, there wasn't a big crowd, but we gave it our best anyway. For me, it doesn't matter how many people are out there during a performance. They paid to see a show, and therefore we should be performing our hearts out, no matter what. The second night of the show, the audience was really cool, and had their cell phones out and waving for most of the performance.
Despite the reservations I orginally had about coming to Culiacán, I ended up having a really good time, and learning a whole lot.
Stay tuned to ¡Viva la s2e! for the conclusion of the Mexican tour.
So, needless to say, some of the people in the cast were worried about being in the city, but at the very beginning of the week, the staff assured us that they would never put us in harm's way. They likened Culiacán to any US city with violence, telling us that there are safe and not-so-safe places for us to go, and to always stick with the group or with our host families. That made all of us feel better, and honestly nothing happened to the cast while we were there, and Culiacán ended up being one of the nicest cities on the tour.
My host family in Culiacán was a really cool older couple named Manuel and Celia Franco Ramos, and my roommate was Gijs (pronounced: [clear your throat]-ice) from the Netherlands. This was a special week in regards to my host family because my host parents' daughter hosted Colin from Texas and Frederik from the Netherlands. I joked to Colin and Freddy that they had to call me Uncle Stew throughout the week. So, in essence I had two host families in one; it was sort of like a "buy one host family, get one free" sort of deal. Our second night in Culiacán, we had the best spread of food to date, and it was extra-special since that spread of food was mostly seafood, so I kind of felt like I was home. The best part of the meal was the pulpo, which is octopus with lemon juice. Once I got used to eating the suction cups on the tentacles, it was smooth sailing for me.
It was in Culiacán that I had my most favorite and interesting CI. We stopped at APAC, which is a day school for children and adults with Cerebral Palsy and various other disabilities. It was so interesting for me to see what was going on because it was so different from what happens in the United States. First off, there were people there from the ages of 5 months to 45 years old. Secondly, they were using therapies that I had never seen before, (they had a swing-like contraption that they strapped their clients to and swung for three minutes. There are circles of thought that says that motion helps people with CP with their development) and they were using therapies there that I thought hadn't been in use for decades, such as the electric shock therapies.
It was cool, because while my Cast B compatriots were busy pulling weeds and painting walls, I had the honor of observing the classroom with the really little kids and helping them with some of the therapies. I also made really good friends with the workers there, who, I could tell, thought of these children as their own. At the end of the day, it was the litte kids' turn on the swing, and the staff invited me to get on there, which I thought was really cool. So, for three minutes I was swinging, and who knows if it helped me, but it was an unforgettable experience nonetheless. Thanks to everyone at APAC-Culiacán!
We performed two shows in Culiacán, and it was kind of refreshing, because instead of being on an 8-foot-high removable stage, we performed on a basketball court that was the same level as the audience. This particular week we had two shows. On the first night, there wasn't a big crowd, but we gave it our best anyway. For me, it doesn't matter how many people are out there during a performance. They paid to see a show, and therefore we should be performing our hearts out, no matter what. The second night of the show, the audience was really cool, and had their cell phones out and waving for most of the performance.
Despite the reservations I orginally had about coming to Culiacán, I ended up having a really good time, and learning a whole lot.
Stay tuned to ¡Viva la s2e! for the conclusion of the Mexican tour.
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