Las Telenovelas

Every night my mama is glued to the T.V.  We watch it in the kitchen while we're eating dinner, we watch it in the T.V. room before bed, and I can even hear the T.V. going in her room after she retires for the night.  Why, you may ask, is she glued to a T.V. that only receives 6 channels?  (Yes, there are still people without cable in the world)

Well, Mama - along with just about every other woman here in Mexico - religiously follows the telenovelas.  You could try to compare the telenovelas to American soap-operas, but they differ in many ways.

First, the novelas are in the prime time T.V. spot.  They go from about 7pm until 11:30, and I believe they change every half an hour, but sometimes I can't tell where one novela ends and the next one starts.

Secondly, they are even more dramatic than soap-operas, if you can imagine.  I'm talking about girls with tumors, who don't know they have tumors but then find out and get married the next day but the wedding gets interrupted by a gunman who shoots the groom in the middle of the ceremony.  

Or the best friends who are completely in love with the same guy and can't seem to figure it out.

Or the man who falls in love with the daughter of his father's assassin but can't stop having flashbacks of his father talking to him.

Or period pieces set on an old hacienda with big, old-fashioned dresses, no running water and escalades to drive them places?

I can't even begin to tell you all of the ridiculous scenarios that the telenovelas have come up with, and I must admit that I'm kind of impressed with the amount of creativity that goes into each episode.  I have enjoyed watching them whenever I get the chance!

My Lesson of the Day: When comes to telenovelas, there is no such thing as over-the-top!