Movie Going in Masaya

It was my first Saturday night back in town, and with the ongoing saga of the transportation strike, my mobility was quite limited. After reading a book and watching about 7 episodes of West Wing (Season 4), I decided it was time to get out of the house. Earlier in the day, I had met my Program Coordinator at a local smoothie joint called Fruity Fruity to shoot the breeze and pass some time. As we walked back towards Central Park, she informed me that a movie theatre had recently opened in Masaya. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing…A movie theatre in Masaya? Could this be the solution to my entertainment roadblock?

I decided to verify this claim before I got my hopes up. Sure enough, she was right, and the listing showed Star Wars: 3D viewing at 8:00 PM. What better way to spend a Saturday night? Watching a 3D version of Star Wars and flailing my tentacles around as objects appear to be crashing into my face. And for 2 dollars, how could I go wrong?

While there was absolutely no conceivable or logical rationale to arrive early, I had to because my American blood pumped with excitement. This would be my first movie in Nicaragua, it would be on a large screen, and best of all, it would be shown in a room with Air-Conditioning. I arrived about ten minutes before Showtime, eager to purchase my ticket. I walked up to the booth, lowered my head to the opening, and took a look inside.

Nothing but pitch black! My hopes appeared shattered, my evening ruined. I stood there wondering if someone was actually working this booth or if the show had been cancelled. A minute later, a young man pleasantly appeared through a curtain and sold me my ticket.

After a few more minutes of time-wasting, I found myself in that dilemma that every person with a small bladder deals with, should I go the bathroom before it starts? Since we operate on Nicaraguan time, I figured I had a few minutes to spare. I ran to the bathroom around the corner, spent about 30 seconds searching for a light, realized there was none, and then moseyed back to the theatre to make sure I didn’t miss a beat.

8:00PM finally struck and I, along with another family of three, continued to eagerly wait outside the theatre. The ticket guy opened the door, appearing to invite us in. But instead of an invitation, he delivered a message – the current movie would be over in approximately ten minutes. Typical. I tried to suppress my boredom for a few minutes by sending text messages to random people, pathetically boasting that I was about to step into a movie theatre in Masaya.

Ten minutes went by.

My boredom was escalating, my excitement diminishing, and my sweat from standing outside in the 85 degree heat accumulating. What the heck is going on? I circled the top floor a few more times to kill some time. On my final lap, the little five-year-old came out in me as I pressed my face against the theatre window to catch a glimpse inside.

Another twenty minutes went by.

I looked down at my cell phone for the umpteenth time – and the survey said – 8:30PM. A half hour late! And I’m still standing outside waiting to be seated. Finally, after not seeing him for a half hour, the ticket booth captain opened the theatre door once again, and this time delivered a telegram.

“This is running a little longer than expected. Would you like to come back tomorrow?” He asked.

“Tomorrow? But I want to see the movie tonight.” I responded.

“Well, I don’t know when this will be over.”

I was in disbelief. I thought to myself…Just look the video box…that’s how you’ll know!

I resisted the urge, however, and instead found myself quite amused.

“Actually, if it’s alright I’d just like my money back.” I said.

And that was that. No movie for me. No money for him. And no getting those 40 minutes of my life back. I reflected for a second about how this would play over in the United States. A night ruined…a demand for free tickets…a call to the manager! Maybe even a…I’m never coming back to this theatre again!

If I’ve learned anything about living in Nicaragua though, where customer service is a distant cry from mediocre, it is that when plans go awry, the best thing to do is raise your arms, shake your head, and chuckle. Yes. I said chuckle. For if you get upset about every tiny detail that doesn’t meet expectations, you’d be entering or living in a constant state of depression.