La Gloria the No One's party

I spent the weekend in La Gloria, a little town nestled in the foothills between Tijuana and Rosarito. It's a nice little place, with rolling green hills and one road that leads through it. It's the type of place you'd encounter while driving along a little state highway toward the coast, or a camping ground. It reminds me of a town called Goldendale, in Eastern Washington that I used to visit when I was little. My family owned a cabin in the hills. It had one police station, a few convenience stores, and a lot of churches, much like La Gloria. 

It was a relaxing weekend, to say the least. I was immersed in Spanish. His grandmother, aunt, parents and sister live in the house with him. Thankfully, he has his own bedroom. That's always nice. They are all very nice people- they don't speak English, and I'm still learning Spanish, but our pantomimes go quite well. 

Saturday night I went with Simon to the No One's party. It was the second such event of the year, and a bit better than the last one. I had a much better time. However, I could sense that Simon knew of my unease and he even posted about it on his blog (in Spanish, of course). In truth, I was a bit out of sorts about the whole thing. It was a huge party but everybody stuck to their own groups, talking amongst themselves and watching other people. I'm not used to that sort of thing. At parties in LA there was an exchange of information, human connections, networking, etc.. The kids seemed bored. Bored and drunk with nothing much to offer me intellectually. It was not a complete bust, though. Simon was a real pleasure to be around, and his friends were very nice. Very nice, and very drunk. 

It seems that people need more to live for these days, especially the youth. It was a huge disappointment to see so many bored young people, getting drunk and shooting the breeze about anything and everything besides what's important. I don't think it's a Mexican thing, or a geographical issue. It's affecting many people I know and in turn it has created a very selfish culture of youth. 

I'm thankful not to be so naive and innocent, and that I am open to the ways of the world. It provides a chance for true love and human connection. I suppose that alone gives me enough inclination to start a changing process, if not for everyone my age, but for some. It'd be worth it.

Tally-ho!