The other side of Carnival

The carnival chaos is coming to an end today. Thank goodness. I managed to somehow stay dry most of the month and avoid the flying water balloons, but this weekend there was no way to avoid anything. This was the BIG celebration when dancing in the street lasts until the wee hours of the morning. Saturday brave young souls marched in the street for a day of throwing paint and ended the paint fights in all happiness in the central plaza under a rainy sky singing and dancing to carnival tunes. Yesterday the costume parade began. The 5 hour long parade included brilliant and elaborate costumes, more water balloon fights and lots of drinking. I don't know if this is the best mix for a party, but you can't argue with 10's of 1,000's of people all drinking, dancing, and throwing water. Hugo and I participated in every activity with could; prepared my camera in a zip lock plastic bag, put on our rain ponchos and headed to the street. Yesterday we were dancing with the passing bands, the passing people in costumes, all while passing the rum and coke. Just as a band of singing carnival sheep was passing our sidewalk station I reached for my camera in Hugo's vest pocket. I mean, how often do you see grown men dressed as sheep playing the drum, saxophone and flute? My hand searched and searched...nothing. In all the craziness we missed the little thieves that snuck into our group and snuck out with my camera.

Material loss happens. I can deal with that; it is losing a memory that was very specifically chosen to be captured that can't be replaced. I yelled, cried, collapsed. Today is a new day and I am trying to face it with a new heart. But, it is hard. I am using other images that I have from carnival to help me deal with the small material lose I experienced yesterday. I don't have a camera, but I have so many other things. So much more than other random faces I have encountered during carnival. The little girl, not more than 6 years old, selling peanuts on the street - any sale of 25 cents would help her out a great deal, then there was the old woman picking up plastic and glass bottles in the night time rain, leftovers from the drunken youngins' that "know how to celebrate carnival," and finally the guy who rain, shine or paint day, you find him in his wheelchair on the street corner begging for any spare change you might have. Any.

So I wish I could share with you the colorful side of carnival, but I have no physical evidence that I participated in any of the above and I highly doubt the little rascal that took my camera will be kind enough to at least return my memory stick with my pictures. You just have to take my word for it (and/or visit my Flickr page where I still have a ton of pictures from last year).

The moments like these are good reminders of what is important, what isn't, and when to be careful with your "stuff." This too shall pass, and until then I will just have to paint a better picture with words for all of my supporters out there.