Parties and Funerals

Hi all, I'm sitting at the kitchen table, after eating almuerzo, the biggest meal of the day here. We had alcachofa con mayonesa and pasta with bolognese sauce. In Chile, you need to let go of your former conceptions about Latin food. Meals here consist of a light breakfast (usually consisting of pan tostado), a big almuerzo, and once (tea, coffee, and more pan tostado). Food is not spicy, and mayonesa is bought in giant squeeze bags, because it is used so often. My first thought: um, no. But after giving things a chance (and applying hot sauce as often as possible), I have been pleasantly surprised with the food. It helps that Tia Rosita is an excellent cook. I also drink about 5 cups of tea a day here, leading to my family informing me that I was probably mistaken about being American, and am in fact, English.

We are about to head to the funeral of Pancho's grandfather. The family invited me but made very clear that coming was not obligatory. After vacillating for quite a while, I decided to come. Although Pancho doesn't seem upset, I still just felt as if it was the right thing to do. From a slightly more selfish angle, this whole situation (Chilean catholic churches and funerals) is brand new to me, and could be quite interesting. I'll update you on the event once I return...

We did go out the other night- Brenna, Pancho, Carlos, Ferdinand, Romina, and I. We drank and hung out with quite a few people, I got told that I looked like Nicole Kidman, but prettier (um, no), and we eventually headed out (at around 2am, standard going out time here) to Journal, a bar that my family frequents. The whole night was a bit of a hot mess, beginning with me forgetting my ID, and getting away with it by feigning incomprehension at the front door. Throughout the night, several Chilean men made their (often rude and always annoyingly persistent) attempts to talk and dance with me. Note to self: learn how to insult men in Spanish, pronto. As per usual, several of my family members were extremely drunk, and we didn't manage to get home until after 5am.

We did take it easy last night, but tonight we plan to go out again, with Pancho. Don't worry, though. Although I'm on vacation, I will always take care of myself. Not to mention, I prefer to avoid having a caña the next morning! Chau for now!