Clown trouble

A mini-circus just arrived in my community, and my friends and I decided to go on the opening night. The small tent was lit up with neon lights and had small homemade signs that welcomed everyone to the big attraction. The show consisted of belly dancing, tight rope performances, clown acts, a 4-year-old contortionist, acrobats and some interesting balancing performances.

The clown acts were where the show took a turn from being slightly funny to slightly obnoxious. The clown eventually spotted the Gringa in the audience and insisted on making lame stereotypical jokes about Americans. He climbed up the stands to talk with me and proceeded to draw unwanted attention to me by calling me his new girlfriend and repeating the only 2 English phrases he knew.,“Hello baby” and “What’s happened to you.” I played along trying to be a good sport considering the community’s eyes were fixed upon me and judging my every move. The clown finally stopped using me as the butt of all his jokes, and the show continued. I was a little annoyed but the audience got a kick out of it.

The final act, the clown came back out and explained how he wanted to reenact a scene from a Tela Novela (Soap Opera). He announced that he needed to girl volunteers. Immediately the clown turned to me and pressured me and my friend to join him on stage. With the audience annoyingly cheering me on, I apathetically made my way to the stage. He explained how Delia, my friend, would play his wife, and I would play his mistress because I was the Gringa. (I can’t tell you how thrilled I was about my role)

Then, he was describing the scene in front of the crowd saying how we were suppose to fight over him, and how he would choose who he would stay with by giving them a kiss. Then he approached me and said “like this…” and started leaning for the kiss. (Who, signed me up for this?!)

I knew how bad this scene must have looked with the Gringa about to smooch the clown, so I quickly gave him my check instead. He kept attempting to kiss me on the lips, and I continued to put up a fight. Even if it was just a joke, I didn’t want his sweaty clown painted cynical lips near me. I could tell he was getting frustrated with me, but in my opinion he could consider focusing his jokes on his circus crew vs. centering his jokes on the audience members who paid to see the show (not be a part of the act). I was then told to go back stage to wait for further instructions. So, there I was back stage trying to figure out a way to get out of making out with this disturbing clown in a respectable manner.

Here I have been working this past month getting to know community members and gaining their respect while breaking negative stereotypes they have about Americans. Now, in front of the entire town, I could lose that respect in a matter of minutes due to this ridiculous clown performance.

I was pushed back on stage, and the soap opera continued. When my part came up, the clown tried several times again to plant a kiss on my lips, and I kept resisting. (Maybe it really wouldn’t have been so bad had he not set up the scene before hand by making rude jokes insinuating that American women are promiscuous.) Anyways, I of course never let him kiss me, and when the awkward performance was finally over, he presented me with a free ticket to see the following night’s show. (Yay! I couldn´t wait to go back...)