Anniversaries Old & New

About 5:30AM at the Pichilemu fonda, no sign of stopping

Don't worry, she got some meat and then
peed on Sara.

   Hey, everybody.  Matt here.  Spring has officially sprung here in the southern hemisphere.  This means it's starting to get into the 80s and we likely won't see more than a couple of light rain showers until April or so.  With the arrival of Spring has come plenty of other good news and events.
   First of all, we are just a few days shy of celebrating our 1-year anniversary here in Chile.  It has really flown by and we've learned a lot.  Luckily, we have both received our (pending) renewed visas, so we will be here at least one more year.  There is still plenty more to discover and do.

Choripan at the Santiago fonda, cueca in the background

Lobo en route to Pichilemu, all is well

Gettin' fish-eyed/faced to start a long night with Fernando

Post-cops & flood depression for horse-man

   The 18th of September (Dieciocho) was another important anniversary here in Chile: the 202nd year of independence.  The holiday lived up to all the hype that gringos and Chileans had been giving it.  The holiday is already 3 days long, and as it fell on a Monday-Wednesday that added an extra 2 days for the weekend.  Most Chileans were looking down the barrel at at least a 5-day party.  I haven't partied like that since college.  The celebration kicked off marvelously on Friday: we went to 2 BBQs, Sara got peed on by a dog, the cops came, I saved a house from flooding (with science!), and we listened/danced to some great music (Many thanks to Fauna and GreenLibros for hosting).

The Pichilemu backyard replete with cacti and kitties

One of several multi-kilo cuts of meat, uhn.

   We followed up the first night with a trip to a fonda (public fair) here in Santiago.  They had lots more BBQ, crafts, and entertainment.  It was a nice relaxing way to recover from the previous night and prepare for the coming week, which took us to the surf town of Pichilemu.  Our friends, Ale (short for Alexandra) and Fernando, and their dog, Lobo, helped us to celebrate the Fiestas Patrias.  We were supposed to stay at a house on a hill overlooking the Pacific for the whole week.  It was a nice house with a great backyard and porch, but unfortunately lacked running water, so we moved into a hostel on the beach for the last few days.  

I think Lobo wanted something

   In Pichi the serious Dieciocho-ing began: BBQ everyday for hours, lack of running water led to increased beer drinking (Medieval Times!), and staying up late to party.  One night, we stayed out at the fonda in Pichi until about 6 in the morning, and it was PACKED at that time.  It was almost impossible to move around under the tent, but that didn't stop people from getting very strong piscolas and dancing.  Sara & I took it a lot easier after that night, but continued to eat a lot of meat (a few kilos BBQed per day).  Overall, it was a very fun and relaxing time at the beach.  We closed out the week back in Santiago with a small brunch at our friends, Beth and Allen's, house which was very stress-free way to end the non-stop festivities.

Fun 25-part kite from China, thanks Mom & Dad.

Sara & Ale watching the surfers at Punta de Lobos with churros

   So now it's back to work for Sara and back to bike tours, tutoring, and PB for me, ho hum.  Oh, and a big CONGRATULATIONS! to our friends Josh and Drew on their marriage, we wish we could have been there (there's a package coming to Josh's parents' house).  We hope that all is well with everyone at home and abroad and that we hear from you soon.  Please post pictures of yourselves and what you're doing; we're out of the loop.  On the note of being out of the loop, I just saw Gangnam Style for the first time....wow.    

"Wish you were here!"