Tito, las ques“ADI”llas…
I continue with rehearsals of Tito. The rehearsals have been long and a lot of talking about the characters but our stage director Clara Kalus has been really nice and she is well prepared and has a clear view of the production. I appreciate her focus on this project, as we sometimes get under prepared stage directors and we waste a hug amount of time because the lack of ideas and clear vision about the project. That to me is not only a lack of professionalism and a lack of respect to his/her profession but also a lack of respect to us the colleagues who prepared well for the project before rehearsals start. Imagine every singer learning the music during the rehearsals, it would be just crazy. Anyways, I am glad she is prepared and very open to accept different opinions.
I have been watching the Netflix documentary "the last dance", which is about the NBA Chicago Bulls and the era of Michael Jordan. It is really interesting and I recommend it to anyone who is into Basketball and the challenges of sports and life. I am really enjoying it as I played Basketball during middle school and high school. I remember watching at midnight delayed matches that were transmitted on open tv channels while studying for exams or finishing homework. During those times, I believed that sleeping was not so important, how wrong I was.
During that time I was also helping my parents at the food stand we had outside our home. There was a crisis in Mexico (I feel like since I was born there is always "a crisis") and my parents had difficulties to make ends meet. So they decided to put a food stand of "quesadillas" right outside our little rented appartment in Colonia Roma. So after school I had basketball training (tuesdays, thursdays and fridays), then, I went back home and help out, by setting the whole food stand, taking tables out, fridge for the drinks outside as well, chairs, the food dishes, the "comal" to cook the quesadillas. Then I serving drinks, taking orders, making tostadas or flautas as well. I also help in the afternoons to prepare the "masa" for the quesadillas. It was a very busy time. I also took some piano lessons in the evenings and music lessons 3 times a week, plus being on the Basketball team at my school and training 3 times a week plus matches on the weekend. During weekends I also used to go with my papa to la Merced (hug market) really early in the morning, to buy the food for the stand. I remember my reward was a very nice "taco reward" after the shopping was done. There were lots of options but most of the times we got "tacos de suadero" at a mini taco stand that was actually a supermarket kart. I must say, going to the market with my papa is one of my most treasured memories. Also seeing how hard they worked during those days was something I really admire. My mama at some point was working during the day helping an uncle with his camera shop and during the evening at the quesadillas stand, she was the one preparing the "quesadillas" using the "tortillero" and then place them in the hot boiling oil, then my father was the one taking care they get cooked and taking them out of the oil unto a trail to let them rest and the oil get less, them mum would put them on a plate and cover them with cream, "queso rallado" and "salsa" (red or green, complitely home made). Those salsas where amazing and eveyone love them. Sometimes people would only buy extra salsa to take home and put it to their own food. The dishes were prepared in advance (around 15 different dishes) every morning by both my mum and father.
After we close the food stand at around 11pm most days, I was still doing my homework and therefore I found myself occasionally watching Basketball games at midnight while doing it. Those were really hard times but I really enjoyed those years. I cannot believe I was ready to wake up the next morning at 5 ish to take shower and then leave home around 6:15 am to talk a 10 minute walk plus a 25 minute bus ride to get to school, just in time before 7 am to srtart all over again a new day at school.
I want to thank my parents for working so hard those years and for teaching me so much. Thank you Adi and Atalo. And if you were curious, yes, it had a name our little stand. We had a radio with a CD player and we had always clasic music on. So the stand was called " las clasicas ques-ADI-llas". Adi was because my mama's nikname name.
Until next week.
