This blog is dedicated to my Grandpa and my favorite artist, Jerry Hausman.
I am on the last leg of my trip, with only 4 days left, on an island in the middle of a lake. Isla Ometepe was formed by two volcanoes and is supposed to be a magical and stunningly beautiful place. So why am I in my room writing a blog? Because it has been pouring rain all night and all morning. And, because I have a story to tell...
Yesterday I went back to Granada expecting to take a 2PM ferry to Ometepe. It was bittersweet news to hear that the ferry leaves at 5PM on Thursdays. This meant I had more time to get to know the city that I was reluctant to explore during last weekend's carnival. It also meant I had more time to sweat myself silly and smell horse crap all afternoon.
I didn't quite know what to do so I just took the only route I knew to the central park. I thought I would sit in the shade and people watch, but by noon all the good benches were taken. I peeked into the cathedral just off the square. After that I thought I would walk through the only other area I knew in the city looking for lunch. As I was about to turn, a series of bright buildings caught my eye and I proceeded straight ahead instead. The red building was just a cellphone store, but its neighbor, the yellow building, was a hidden treasure.
Casa de Tres Mundos caught my eye on the map earlier, but from what I understood it was a place that gave art and language classes. I discovered it was also a mini gallery (literally). In addition to "normal" sized paintings and prints, there was a glass case filled with miniature works of art: sketches, ceramics & paintings...on toothpicks!! Two magnifying glasses hung from the case so the fine details could be better appreciated.
The man in the gallery, Sergio, chatted up a group and I realized he was the artist. When the others left, I mentioned to the man that my grandpa is also an artist. Sergio's sketches were reminiscent of Grandpa's and some of his other works made me think of Grandpa's holiday cards. I didn't know it at the time but this connection won Sergio over.
He wanted to show me more of his work and tell me his stories so he invited me to have a seat and review each work with a magnifying glass. I asked about a bookmark he had designed and he offered it to me at a reduced price and told me he would throw another one in for free. "When you told me about your grandpa, you won me over. I like you. You're smart."
Sergio then started telling stories from his childhood. His mother was Mexican and his father Israeli. The religious and linguistic differences between the two made for an interesting relationship. The father always referred to priests as rabbis which drove the mother crazy. Whenever the mom made the dad angry, he would mutter things in Hebrew. And if Sergio made his parents mad, they would talk to each other in French, which sent little Sergio running for his room (he knew he had it coming).
One time at age 12, Sergio's parents sent him out to buy tortillas. Instead, he hopped a bus to Acapulco. In another instance, Sergio and his friend, the governor of Vera Cruz's son, snuck out in the night and stole two flamingos out of the city fountain. They (stupidly) hid them in the governor's house and the two teens made their debut in the paper the following day. Another time, they put a sombrero and poncho on a statue of Mexican hero Benito Juarez, which also made headlines.
During our talk, he pulled out four markers and placed them on the table. Each marker was meant to represent a guy. "You like this guy, but some things you don't like. This guy is good too, but not perfect. Etc, etc..." He picked up all four markers and dropped them into a cup "You can't just have them all like a portfolio of men. You go with one and you just live." Sergio added that his advice was just as much for me as it was for him.
I wanted to record every word out of his mouth. Sergio insisted memories cannot be captured by a microphone nor a camera so my phone stayed in my purse and I tried to absorb as much as I could.
When I went to buy a few small pieces, Sergio kept giving me discounts. "You won my heart" he told me. "Here this one is for your grandpa. I want to know what he has to say. I want to meet him." I would love nothing more to be the interpreter between those two. The room would overflow with wisdom and creativity (no thanks to me) and I would smile from ear to ear.
Sergio currently has his own tv program called "Abuelo Sergio". He is also in the process of opening a museum. Sergio has never learned to use a computer so he wrote out the ad by hand (even his handwriting reminded me of Grandpa) and gave it to me to read:
"Micro-museum:
Get to know the incredible world of Grandpa Sergio
Micro: paintings, sculptures, Pre-Colombian ceramics, figures painted on toothpicks which you can see with a magnifying glass: fleas playing guitar & trumpet, soldiers, giraffes, elephants, owls and much more"
I walked out of Casa de Tres Mundos with a giant grin, several mini works of art, my very own magnifying glass (a gift Sergio gives to anyone who buys a mini something or other) and a new friendship that I will forever cherish.
I am on the last leg of my trip, with only 4 days left, on an island in the middle of a lake. Isla Ometepe was formed by two volcanoes and is supposed to be a magical and stunningly beautiful place. So why am I in my room writing a blog? Because it has been pouring rain all night and all morning. And, because I have a story to tell...
Yesterday I went back to Granada expecting to take a 2PM ferry to Ometepe. It was bittersweet news to hear that the ferry leaves at 5PM on Thursdays. This meant I had more time to get to know the city that I was reluctant to explore during last weekend's carnival. It also meant I had more time to sweat myself silly and smell horse crap all afternoon.
I didn't quite know what to do so I just took the only route I knew to the central park. I thought I would sit in the shade and people watch, but by noon all the good benches were taken. I peeked into the cathedral just off the square. After that I thought I would walk through the only other area I knew in the city looking for lunch. As I was about to turn, a series of bright buildings caught my eye and I proceeded straight ahead instead. The red building was just a cellphone store, but its neighbor, the yellow building, was a hidden treasure.
Casa de Tres Mundos caught my eye on the map earlier, but from what I understood it was a place that gave art and language classes. I discovered it was also a mini gallery (literally). In addition to "normal" sized paintings and prints, there was a glass case filled with miniature works of art: sketches, ceramics & paintings...on toothpicks!! Two magnifying glasses hung from the case so the fine details could be better appreciated.
The man in the gallery, Sergio, chatted up a group and I realized he was the artist. When the others left, I mentioned to the man that my grandpa is also an artist. Sergio's sketches were reminiscent of Grandpa's and some of his other works made me think of Grandpa's holiday cards. I didn't know it at the time but this connection won Sergio over.
He wanted to show me more of his work and tell me his stories so he invited me to have a seat and review each work with a magnifying glass. I asked about a bookmark he had designed and he offered it to me at a reduced price and told me he would throw another one in for free. "When you told me about your grandpa, you won me over. I like you. You're smart."
Sergio then started telling stories from his childhood. His mother was Mexican and his father Israeli. The religious and linguistic differences between the two made for an interesting relationship. The father always referred to priests as rabbis which drove the mother crazy. Whenever the mom made the dad angry, he would mutter things in Hebrew. And if Sergio made his parents mad, they would talk to each other in French, which sent little Sergio running for his room (he knew he had it coming).
One time at age 12, Sergio's parents sent him out to buy tortillas. Instead, he hopped a bus to Acapulco. In another instance, Sergio and his friend, the governor of Vera Cruz's son, snuck out in the night and stole two flamingos out of the city fountain. They (stupidly) hid them in the governor's house and the two teens made their debut in the paper the following day. Another time, they put a sombrero and poncho on a statue of Mexican hero Benito Juarez, which also made headlines.
During our talk, he pulled out four markers and placed them on the table. Each marker was meant to represent a guy. "You like this guy, but some things you don't like. This guy is good too, but not perfect. Etc, etc..." He picked up all four markers and dropped them into a cup "You can't just have them all like a portfolio of men. You go with one and you just live." Sergio added that his advice was just as much for me as it was for him.
I wanted to record every word out of his mouth. Sergio insisted memories cannot be captured by a microphone nor a camera so my phone stayed in my purse and I tried to absorb as much as I could.
When I went to buy a few small pieces, Sergio kept giving me discounts. "You won my heart" he told me. "Here this one is for your grandpa. I want to know what he has to say. I want to meet him." I would love nothing more to be the interpreter between those two. The room would overflow with wisdom and creativity (no thanks to me) and I would smile from ear to ear.
Sergio currently has his own tv program called "Abuelo Sergio". He is also in the process of opening a museum. Sergio has never learned to use a computer so he wrote out the ad by hand (even his handwriting reminded me of Grandpa) and gave it to me to read:
"Micro-museum:
Get to know the incredible world of Grandpa Sergio
Micro: paintings, sculptures, Pre-Colombian ceramics, figures painted on toothpicks which you can see with a magnifying glass: fleas playing guitar & trumpet, soldiers, giraffes, elephants, owls and much more"
I walked out of Casa de Tres Mundos with a giant grin, several mini works of art, my very own magnifying glass (a gift Sergio gives to anyone who buys a mini something or other) and a new friendship that I will forever cherish.
Even his dog is miniature! A 5lb version of Stewie
The legend: Abuelo Sergio
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