The sneeze heard round the world

Sneeze: PBS is in town filming. I´m not sure exactly what for, if they´re filming just in Guanajuato or other parts of the country. Anyway, Friday there was a big performance at the Teatro Juarez, this old najestic theatre that was built in 1897 (or something like that). Anyway, by the time I heard about the performance, the tickets (free) were gone. But a few hours before the show started, someone gave me a ticket. Cool. So I decided to go. Being in the theatre and seeing a live performance was amazing even if I didn´t have the best seats (the 2nd or 3rd level balcony). Anway, right before the orchestra started playing, the MC yelled “roll cameras” and a few seconds later yours truly let out this huge sneeze. So if you ever catch the PBS special, listen for me!

Japanese Students: One of the off things is that there are a lot of Japanese students in Guanajuato, studying Spanish. I have no idea why. Americans coming to Mexico or other countries to learn Spanish makes sense. But Japanese peoplw??? I can´t figure out their interest in learning Spanish.

Grocery Stores: Mexican grocery stores don´t seem to have copied the Great American invention…the express lane. So the few times I`ve gone to the grocery store, I´ve had to stand in these long lines with my four or five items. The strange thing is that it´s common practice to tip the person who bags your groceries. I don´t know if that´s the only money the bagger gets or if they also get paid directly by the store. Regardless, it´s a little odd. In restaurants, you tip based on the quality of the service. How do you decide if someone´s done a quality job bagging your groceries???

Guanajuato: By the way, Guanajuato is basically known for three things:

• Silver mines. The silver mines date back to the early 1500s and some are still active. On Saturday, I toured a mine that dates to 1547. Very cool. I overheard someone say that Guanjuato produces 40% of the world´s silver.
• The birthplace of Diego Rivera, the famous Mexican painter and muralist.
• An annual Cerventes festival. Cervantes was a Spanish author who is best known for writing the Don Quixote novels in the 1600s. About 20 years ago, someone decided to open a Don Quixote museum in Guanajuato. The museus features paintings and other artwork about Don Quixote. And every year, there´s a huge festival with performers from all over the world. As far as I can tell, there´s no connection between Cervantes or Don Quixote and Guanajuato.  I doubt Cervantes ever heard of Guanajauto.  So why is the museum and festival here?  No idea.  Someone just decided to do it.