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A month ago I arrived in Granada.
It's unusual for me to stay anywhere for such a long time.
As you can see, I've been learning Spanish.
I still can't speak the language easily.
But recently I was talking with two German tourists.
They thought I was Nicaraguan.
I've enjoyed Granada a lot. It's a beautiful town, full of classical buildings. The people are always friendly. I've found new friends here. And a beer costs a dollar. February is one of the best months to be here. It's summer now and the weather is great every day. Furthermore, there's an International Poetry Festival this week. Last night, I sat in the Central Plaza under the moon and stars and listened to two hours of poems, read by the authors themselves. People were enchanted by poems in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Swedish, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish of course. It was wonderful to hear so many languages on a single stage. The night ended with a concert by Carlos Mejia Goday, who sang revolutionary songs. Everyone sang along with him. Today, there was a parade through the streets of Granada, with music and dancers in colorful costumes. At each corner, the parade and the music stopped. Then, a poet - perhaps from Dakar, Delhi or Detroit - would read a poem to the crowd. What a great way to bring poetry to the people and to give life to literature. Tomorrow is my last day in this wonderful place. I'll climb Masaya's volcano. It's been active recently. I don't really want to leave this town, but there are other places to see. On Saturday, I'll head south. There's a boat in Panama I want to catch. |