fiesta, football, and fieldtrips

A long weekend in Santiago...

Shayne and Sinmi's host family must think we are lame. Every Friday I come over, to find S and S home alone. We settle down infront of the TV with a dance movie -- Dirty Dancing, Havana Nights, Save the Last Dance, that sort of thing. Last weekend we watched Dance With Me. As the movies is ending someone walks in, saying something like "Haven't you seen this one already?" Truth is, commenting on Vanessa William's bizarre dancing face is about all we have energy for after a week at school...

On Saturday night we acted a bit more like young people. I went downtown to the apartment, walking in on the boys wearing sunglasses and playing poker. Mat and Gil, who are teaching in Temuco way in the South, were up for the weekend. Once Chris won the game we went to a party hosted by one of the Chileans we met the first week we were here. The party was huge -- three birthdays in one. We partied Chilean-style into the small hours of the morning, with a mixed bunch of foreigners (including another random McGillian) and many Chilean university students. Good fun, despite the reggaeton overload.

Sunday was a football day. After 'breakfast' downtown (check out my bowl of fries -- I was very happy) I agonized through the Portugal-Holand game. What an ugly game! I'm pretty nervous for the England-Portugal game on Saturday. I'm not even sure how I'm going to watch it. I'm supposed to be at a Canada Day carnival at one of the other schools...I may have to sneak a television with me. One of my eight graders yesterday spent pretty much all of class with one headphone in, listening to the Brazil -Ghana game on the radio. It's one strategy...

Monday was a holiday -- something about S. Pedro falling in the middle of the week and getting pushed to the weekend. I was invited by one of my twelveth graders, German, for a picnic into the 'cordillera'. Puente Alto is pushed up against the Andes, so the mountains are never far away. German is a sweet heart -- I hang out with him a lot because he plays guitar and sings brilliantly. He's got pretty decent English too. His mother (tia Pati) is very nice. I've been to their house quite a lot. Anyways, we picnicked in the sun, watched the condors soaring, and breathed in some less smoggy air. We were there all afternoon. Afterwards I was taken back to their house for tesito, and German continued my schooling in Spanish music.

That was my weekend. Relaxing, but quite lovely. Next weekend hopefully I'll hang out with Julia -- I'm pretty excited to see someone from home :)