This past week was Independence week here in Chile. It has been a celebration since 1811 commemorating the formation of Chile as an independent nation state from Spain in 1810. It's like the 4th of July, but enhanced to make it a week long celebration with no school or work. Since we first arrived in Chile we have been told this is a celebration not to miss and it definitely lived up to the hype. I live really close to the "Sporting club" which is a giant horse race track and coincidentally the site of a major fonda (party) for independence week. The best thing I can compare this fonda to is a county fair in the states. There were food huts and carts, games, a flea market, and little rides. Games like darts, knocking over milk jugs, etc. where every prize was alcohol (that part is different than in the states). I went to the fonda 4 different times with various people and each experience was a little different. I definitely enjoyed the banana manjar gelato. Manjar is like sweet, creamy, milky caramel that can be eaten on just about anything. The clubs and bars all had specials and continued to provide entertainment until 5 in the morning. I really loved how dedicated every Chilean was to the holiday-most houses displaying Chilean flags, cars with ribbons, and typical Chilean hats and dresses worn. They are all very dedicated to alcohol too. At the fonda I swear there were groups of 14 year olds walking around drinking. People all over drinking beer, wine, pisco, terremotos (wine+ice cream and sometimes grenadine), chicha (fermented grapes or apples). My host family has a vacation home in Olmue which is about a half hour drive from Vina. The house reminds me of a beach house and has a trampoline, pool, fire pit, huge outdoor grill, and lots of avocado trees. Andy and I took the metro and then a bus (1.5 hr trip) and met my family on Thursday. There were 20 people there all family and family friends enjoying lunch. We had an absurd amount of meat and salads followed by Chilean yard games. Andy and I were on a team and provided much laughter to the older generations as we weren't the best at the games. Hey they've had 50+ years of practice and here we are just 2 gringos trying to experience the culture! We had about 8 different desserts for "once" (Chilean tea/coffee time with breads or desserts). My personal favorite was the raspberry cheesecake! I spent the night on the top bunk with momma on the bottom bunk and papa snoring on the trundle. Boy can he snore!!!! Andy likes to play this game and think back to exactly 6 months from the exact day and imagine what his life was like and what he thought he would be doing in the next 6 months. Back on March 20 I was in Seattle for spring break hanging out with my friends and cousins. I knew I was going to be in Chile in 6 months and that I would have a great experience, but I didn't know I'd be sleeping in the same room as my host parents in their quaint vacation home after meeting all their extended family and friends having a big BBQ. The next day Brandan came out and hung out with the family and different family friends and extended family. More meat, potato chips, and salads! Brandan was brave enough to try this black blood sausage inside intestine. I definitely shied away from that and took Brandan's word that it wasn't good. We still aren't exactly sure what it was, but the Chileans loved it. We played more games and had another 8 desserts before Brandan and I headed back to Viña. Papa was a riot the whole time just so into the festivities. He kept saying that he gets crazy for independence week. We played fusbol and he told us to call him "Champion", and later proved that name after winning with sneaky moves. Olmue is a nice little town in the country and I enjoyed it's solitude. The weekend was spent with friends relaxing on the beaches of Viña and Con Con (beach town about a 20 minute bus ride north of Viña). We had more empanadas and gelato and I discovered I really like corn and cheese empanadas.
Today I hung out at the beach and read my book and spent time looking out into the horizon. I skyped a couple of friends tonight and Mike said "Erin do you ever just sit and think that you're really, actually in Chile?" The answer is yes! Every day I have moments when I think "wow I am living in a different country with a new family, speaking a foreign language and meeting new friends." Looking at the vast ocean realizing that as the sun sets here it's rising for my friends in Australia I realize how big this world really is and how I'm just a small part of it.
"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life."- Albert Camus
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| La Campana in Olmue |
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| Jen and I enjoying churros and french fries at the fair |
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| Papa playing games at the fonda |
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| Alcohol all over |
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