Tonight was the start of the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival. It started around 5PM and will continue for the rest of the weekend. A few things are interesting about this. One is the fact that I live just across the street from the park where it's taking place. On the one hand, it's great that I'm this close because I don't have to worry about transportation and if I get tired, I can just walk home. The downside is that I still hear the music from one of the stages that is practically right in front of my apartment complex (It's still across the street but is in front of my complex). While the music is pretty good, it's still quite loud. I'm lucky that I live a few apartments down from it but I feel for the neighbor who lives in Apartment 12 which is the closest.
I was quite fun. Mostly I just did a quick walk -through tonight looking around at what was there and filming it. I didn't really stop and look at some of the things. I'll do that tomorrow. Mostly what I same is similar to an event back in my hometown. Many crafters selling their work and lots of food booths. The difference is that here there's an even greater variety of food. For example, I had gator tonight which honestly tasted a lot like chicken. I also had some Strawberry Lemonade and some Fried Oreos.
Of course, there's always the issue of crowds with events like this. Being the socially awkward nerd that I am, I generally don't feel comfortable in crowds or really like them. Although, I didn't find the crowd to be too bad except in a few spots. Mostly because the park is so large that it helps.
After my wanderings, I came across one of the stages where I saw a group of students wearing clothing that Marachi groups normally wear. Of course, this got my attention right away but since they weren't playing just then, I didn't really stick around. When I finally made my way around and came back to the stage, the group was just about to begin performing. It was a Mari achi group. In fact they were from UNT which is my college. Marachi music and concerts have been a bit part of my life. I grew up hearing it at home and going with my parents to see concerts. My dad loves Marachi music. I've never really enjoyed it that much despite the fact that this is music that's part of my culture. I love my culture, I do. I even joined a Hispanic Pride Club in high school and was a Ballet Folklorico dancer. I loved being a dancer and I grew a better appreciation of Marachi Music.
Since I've moved away from home, I've discovered that I miss Marachi music. I miss that part of my culture. I didn't realize this before but when I'm at an event and see a Marachi group, I can't help but think of home. Tonight is one example. Watching the performers, I felt homesick and thought about my parents. I've realized that instead of running away from something that I've never really enjoyed, I now seek it out because it's like a part of home for me. I could have chosen to walk away and listen to some other music at the festival, but instead I actually sought it out. I walked all around and actually came back just so I could listen (that and I wanted to see how good they were). I've also noticed that instead of avoiding Marachi concerts now when I'm home and my parent's invite me, I choose to go. It's strange but I guess in a sense I've grown to appreciate things like this. Despite the fact, that I still don't speak the Spanish language and don't know what they are singing, I still listen to it if it's there. It's the familiarity of it.
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