200 Anos for Chile

My host mother dancing the queca in the "typical" fashion

So, for the last week I have been traveling and spending time with friends, Chileans and empanadas (fried deliciousness, even Carolinians would be pleased with). Life has been GOOD, way to good in fact. I’m not sure how I can be expected to go back to school on … wait for… Thurs. Yes, I got an entire week off for the Independence Day Holiday because let’s face it … its Chile, it’s the way here. I asked a few people if this was just because it was the bicentennial and they looked at me funny. THEY looked at ME funny, “No Marry do you not celebrate your Independence in the States?”. I contemplated this question seriously because compared to Chile’s celebrations with fonda’s (rented out building’s, gymnasiuns, schools, etc that have live bands with dancing, cerveza, pisco and FOOD), kermesses (like a carnival we have in the states), parades (two days worth) and an entire city that remains shut down two days after the actual holiday for people to recuperate… sorry America you got nothing on this.

I went to Tierre del Fuego the Thurs – Sat before Independence Day where my good friend Megan is volunteering. It’s very small, flat in the city but turns to rolling hills and beach the further away from town you go. We visited where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Pacific, something about the idea of two oceans forming seems exciting. The water is very blue here, like most oceans …I understand. But it’s a deeper blue but somehow clearer at the same time. We also went to an estancia (sheep farm) and watched a sheep shearing and rode horses along with four wheelers… all in all a pretty SWELL tiempo. The more of Patagonia I am seeing the more in love with the area I am becoming. There’s definitely some sort of magic down here, well that’s what these crazy Chilenos keep telling me. I have met some amazing people and getting to experience these sights and adventures with them makes everything so much special and memorable. Basically, any other girl who selected Patagonia to go and teach English is gonna be alright with me.

When we got back to Punta Arenas on Saturday the fun was to continue. We kicked it off with empanadas and a serious glam session. It’s not often that we all (Patagonian girl volunteers) get to be really girly so we turned up the music and pulled out the mascara. Saturday and Sunday night we went to the Military Base Fonda, aka lots of Chilean soldiers and only a few gringas… the odds were looking up. Haha. We quaca’d (Chilean National Dance) and salsa’d well into the night. Well for us gringas it was well into the night, Chileans don’t require sleep.
Sunday was Chile’s Veterans Day, and is celebrated as much if not more than their Independence Day. We went to another parade and fonda. My “parents” had an asado (barbque) which lasted the entire afternoon, of course.
I loved watching the people of Chile support their country, they are so proud and want to celebrate their military and where they have come from as a country.

Viva Chile.