Feliz Pascua!
I am now a 20 year old Chilean… well at least half of that statement is true! Thank goodness for Easter break, while a lot of the other gringas here have their family from the USA visiting, or took an overly priced bus ticket up to the north for a weekend getaway Teresa and I decided after being invited to numerous asados (barbecues in the park!), carretes ( parties) and just having the chance to have one long weekend where we could relax, hang out with Chileans and our families- to stay in Santiago.
So, we didn’t have school on Thursday or Friday which was very lucky for me because I might have had one of the most active 3 day weeks in a while- with my chilean mom commenting to me ” Tienes demasiado energia!” (you have too much energy). That is an understatement if anyone knows me well enough.
On Monday morning, I rode my bike to school, went to my Yoga class, then rode my bike back ( about 12 miles in total) then had just enough to relax, eat lunch , shower and then go all the way back to school to my first practice of Capoeira! It is a type of brazilian martial arts, a mixture of dance, gymnastics and fighting! It is the coolest and hardest thing I have ever tried. I was so sore, seriously. But by the time I have about 3 months training, I’ll be a brazilian warrior in the making- watch out USA!
I had a schedule similar to that for the week, so I was dead and so ready for a break come Thursday!
On Thursday Teresa and I met up at a park and relaxed, and then ate onces (chilean version of tapas) with my mom, consisting of delicious fresh baked bread, tomatoes, potatoes,cucumbers and some type of fried zucchini!
Afterwards we lazily walked around, ended up at the mall listening to a live band, eating delicious gelato and seeing a movie that was about Chicago! It was a really fun relaxing evening. On Friday Teresa and I went out to a discoteca and danced the night away- literally. We didn’t get back until about 5 AM, the usual time for Chileans. It was a very memorable and fun night to say the least! The next day we both just slept A LOT and we’re actually really sick..not too fun, but worth it for sure, actually made us feel even more Chilean- going out till 5 AM then regaining energy all day- SO Chilean of us.
Today, Easter I actually ran a 10k! ( Yes, I am now in the metric system! ) It was a beautiful, lovely Sunday morning filled with lots of families on bike rides and couples walking their dogs or going to church! After my run my older brother Javier came over and my mom made a delicious brunch of stir fry with pasta and a delicious raspberry cake! We ate lots and lots and drank endless cups of tea chatting. Afterwards my brother and I went on a Easter bike ride together to try and find an apartment that mi Pololo (boyfriend) Rick can stay in when he visits in May! We found one, but it was super sketchy and my brother said we probably shouldn’t go inside- so after hesitantly ringing the doorbell and hearing a million dogs bark we both exchanged glances and ran down the street in fear. It was pretty funny 🙂
Now, Teresa and I are both just relaxing, it just started raining too, the first rainfall since I’ve been here. I really wanted to go out and do a photo shoot because I finally got a new memory card and have been itching to take some good shots in the city, but with the rain – might have to take a rain check…no pun intended.
Oh and my host family here isn’t religious just like me, mi madre described her religion as being “mente abierta” or open minded, and that couldn’t be anymore similar to me! Another perfect match in that way!
Hoping that you all have a cheerful and tranquil holiday
Besos y Abrezos!
“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu