the great gatsby

Background . . . I had interviewed all the high school girls when I first arrived here to see what their dreams are, what their long-term goals are, so that we can take the steps to get them from here to there. When I asked them what they´d like to personally accomplish, they mentioned different careers or universities they´d like to see in their future, but the majority of them also expressed that they´ve never danced, choreographed, acted, sung, etc. on stage. So Pati and I have been trying to get together a sort of variety show for them where they can showcase their talents and get a chance to shine on like the crazy diamonds they are.

Yesterday we got a lot of stuff done at the office but we were kind of hitting a wall trying to find a space for the talent show. No one was returning our calls. Here comes a Honduras moment.

This artist-pharmacist-socialite named Mahchi comes into the office and starts talking to OYE and I say hi, like you do. He comes over and, in so many words, asks me why a gringo kid would speak Spanish like an Argentine and he tells me about an American friend of his wants help with her Spanish so that she can pass an exam to become a certified legal interpreter.

He invites me to his house, which is actually on the same street as ours but is sorrounded by a giant leafy yellow wall, to meet her that evening at a soirée. I briefly wonder if I should wear shoes that don´t have holes in them, but then I show up last night. Turns out his American friend is an actress in residence at La Fragua (pretty much the best performance space in the region) and she can introduce me to the director. Also, she has acted alongside John Malkovich on stage. Mahchi comes from the Mahchi family, a Palestinean family that Also in attendance at the party are an Argentine businessman from Buenos Aires who has lived here for the past five years, the son of the former first lady of Honduras, the personal assistant to the guy who may be the next president of Honduras, oh, and me and Ana. It was like being transported to another planet. You know, you read development text books that talk about the economic elite, but to be sitting with them is another thing, old sport.

Point is, I got the Fragua for the show. Don´t worry, I still like fiestas de alta suciedad more than fiestas de alta sociedad.