oh hey spring break
yesterday i turned in my last paper. down to the wire doesn’t even begin to describe the situation in which i found myself. it would suffice to say that a paper writing miracle occurred at six o’clock in the corner chair of starbucks. and now i’m officially free from school for the next week and a half.
“if you eat and drink everything offered to you, you won’t make it through the celebration. just say no.” these were the parting words of my spanish professor as we left for the week. this sunday is dieciocho, aka las fiestas patrias. in simple terms, it’s chile’s independence day. however, chile takes it’s independence far more seriously the usa. in contrast to the fourth of july, it is tied for christmas as the biggest celebration of the year. the entire country has been decked out in flags and banners and streamers since the first of the month. red white and blue as far as the eye can see (the chilean flag looks remarkably similar to that of texas). and instead of a single day of celebration, the party lasts nearly a week. this year, it is being celebrated from this past thursday through tuesday.
from what i’ve experienced so far, las fiestas patrias can be summed up in three words. food. drink. dancing. and all three of these can be found at a fonda. fondas remind me a lot of our concept of a fair. booths selling high calorie food, overpriced games ring toss games for dollar tree prizes, and somewhat questionably constructed amusement rides. i’ve been to two so far, and must say, i’m a big fan. held in open fields, tent after tent is set up, each decorated to the nines with chilean flags and banners. they sell anticuchos, (skewers of meat grilled over a charcoal fire), empanadas, manjar filled churros, and chicha, the traditional drink of dieciocho. among these tents are several ramadas, or open air buildings. for a few dollars you can grab a table, order some food, and watch as a band plays traditional chilean music and people dance the cueca.
barbecues are also a huge component of this holiday. i have it from a very good source (wikipedia), that meat sales exceed $50 million. and i believe it. tomorrow morning we’re headed to rancagua, where my dad’s entire family lives. i was told we would be leaving very early in the morning. when i asked how early i was told eleven. if that gives you a sense of chilean time. we’ll be staying at my cousin’s house and more or less eating our way through the next few days.
tuesday i leave for peru for a week with a few friends! we’re machu picchu bound. armed with a raincoat, a new book, a recently updated ipod, and a fully charged camera, i look forward to exploring the southern end of our northern neighbor.
