Friday, March 11th – Prison on the Coast

We had to go down a  long winding tunnel and through a lot of locked gates to reach the area where we could perform. We passed by many cells with men calling out to us and asking us what was going on. There was a massive storm brewing in the distance since we were right on the coast and we had to hurry everything along because we knew we were on the clock. We had to quickly set up and be very focused in what we did and said. My brothers and sisters and I do a Tae Kwon Do choreography to high energy music that the men really get into. The wind picked up and blew down our canopy. We had to cut things short because the rain started but we huddled under cover and talked a bit with the men. One man was from New York and was so glad to hear English (my father speaks in English and we translate into Portuguese). They were full of hope and gratitude by the time we left.