lucha libre

it is difficult for me to pass over delightful moments like waking up to a pumped up version of "killing me softly" and a dance class in the courtyard of my home this morning. or recounting the time david kelly, my adolescent - and very secret - crush, totally busted me on prank calling him in the name of learning my past tense verbs. or giving an impromptu english lesson to a group of terrified teenagers in a guadalajara plaza.

it is even more difficult to brush past my first time in el centro de guadalajara. visiting the cathedral just in time for my favorite part of catholic mass - the peace in christ handshake. stumbling across a giant paper maché nativity in the middle of a plaza. seeing two diego rivera paintings up close and personal.

but it is necessary because my day culminated in lucha libre. think: nacho libre meets derby girls; a competitive extrovert's paradise. the fun started before we got into the arena. jeff pulled out his mask and i took a picture.

then i took a picture of jeff and a random kid.

then i took a picture of jeff, seth, and lots of randoms. it was tough to get a good shot because everyone was jumping up and down with excitement.

inside the crowd was rowdy, the lighting poor, and the sense that i was at a theatrical performance rather than a sporting event lingered in the air. like the grinch's heart, my spanish vocabulary grew three times that (or this) day. unfortunately, most of it would be absolutely inappropriate for use in any other context. half the time, the crowd got so caught up in hurling creative - and sometimes musical - insults at rival sections that i completely lost track of what was going on in the ring. other times, wrestlers would repay insults shouted from the crowd with inappropriate gestures or colorful language. The matches were just as much about telling the story of a battle between good and evil as they were competitive athletic competitions. did i mention the wrestlers often wore capes?

although cameras were prohibited in the arena, i snuck in a picture so you too could be a part of the lucha libre experience.