And on the 7th day we rest...and eat

Beinvenido!  This is my first blog entry. :)  I spent a few hours getting this blog set up.  I'm still not sure if it's programmed correctly so this will be a test.  If you get annoyed with the emails, please feel free to unsubscribe and if you want to be added, let me know.  I also apologize for this being a novel!  I'll try to keep it brief moving forward.

I've now been here for 48 hours and all I have done is eat and fill ears with the Chilean language.  If you've read "Eat, Pray, Love" I am in her first chapter of my life here.  I understand now why all she did her first couple weeks was listen to Italian, read Italian, and eat Italian! We acclimate to foreign cultures by soaking in the culture - and language and food make up so much of it. Wow!  What a Sunday.  I will most likely be full for the next couple days.  Today was that Sunday you envision all families having but few making the time to actually have it.  And to give us Southern Californians some slack - because sprawl of the county and surrounding regions doesn't permit it.  This Sunday though it was family from dawn (or for me 11:30am) until sunset.  Since I've arrived - a whole 2 days ago - I have been staying up until 2am and sleeping in.  Perhaps, this is because I'm still on California time?  Or maybe I'm in more of a relaxation mode.  In any case, I was awoken by church bells this morning instead of my alarm clock.  Thank god (ha- no pun intended) the church is only a few blocks from my apartment.  The bells chimed at 10:50am and I was supposed to meet the family in front of the church at 11:30.  I quickly jumped in the shower, got dressed, and was out the door.  Surprisingly, I made it JUST on time.  Pio, Veronica, Bernadita (Pita is her nickname) and Pio Jr. (Negro is his...I haven't inquired into the meaning yet) were waiting for me.  Maria Jesus was missing again. She also didn't come to tio's birthday yesterday.  Both days her padres said she was sleeping. Hm...she is sounding more like a troubled teen each day.  When we got home from church at 1:30pm, she was still sleeping.  And, yesterday Pio and I dropped her off at her psychologist's office...not that there is anything wrong with this.  I actually am an advocate of psychology. Maybe if all teens had a pyschologist, we wouldn't see as high of drop out rates, crime, gangs, etc. Regardless, this is also a service money buys and unfortunately, we are not all so fortunate to have parents who can afford or care enough to send their teens.  Sorry, I digress!...Okay, back to church....So, mass is actually at Colegio San Ignacio - the all boys Loyola private school where Pio attends.  There are about 1,500 students spanning grades pre-school to 12th grade. Pio Sr., his brother, and their dad all attended their.  As Veronica told me, those who graduate from there hold the school close to their hearts.  We all loaded into the gymnasium which was a little chaotic with kids crying in the background and many having to stand due to lack of seats. Although it was a "traditional" mass, I STILL did not understand what the priest was saying.   Here's the problem as I've come to pinpoint with the help of Veronica's family today.  Not only do Chileans speak very fast, they leave out the pronunciation of certain letters - most commonly the letter "s" - and they use a TON of slang.  According to online guide "ContactChile," many of Chile's words go back to the influence of the Quechua and Mapudungun languages spoken by the native population of the area.    Most of these words are only used within the country and a few other of the surrounding countries.  The mass lasted 45 minutes and then everyone booked it.  Pio shouted to the kids "Keep walking!" and then turned to me and in a hushed voice said, "We have...lots of friends.  If we stop and talk to one...me must talk to all.  We never leave."  We all jumped in the car and then sat in a traffic jam in the dirt lot. One elderly Chilean woman squeezed her car in front of Pio's camiónita (another thing I've learned is that they add "ita" onto the ends of many words creating new meanings for words), but Pio didn't bat an eye.  I have not seen him get angry once and he seems like one who doesn't ever lose his temper.  Instead of all of Veronica's family going to her parent's house, they were all coming to her house.  So, the next stop was the grocery store.  The feast to follow was insane.  

The family arrived at their home at 2.  I'm still confused as to which were Veronica's sisters and which were her sister-in-laws.  Regardless, they were all SO nice!  Two were with husbands and 2 children each and the 3rd  sister was alone.  The women chatted and laughed non-stop.  You could tell they all loved each others' company.  We started with "Mango Sour"...some sort of sour alcohol mixed with mango puree.  We sipped out of little shot glasses.  The ladies cheersed with me and said in broken English, "all the women of the house...we drink...the men...soft drink," and broke into laughter.  The four of us then went outside to join the men.  Pio was BBQing  salchichas (sal for short = "sausages") and meat that looked like hot dogs.  He would then grill small round white biscuits and make everyone little sandwiches.  They were amazing. We also snacked on pickles, and chips with a white dip made of plain yogurt, mayonnaise, and chives.  After making a few rounds of sausage sandwiches, all the ladies went inside to eat the feast Veronica had just prepared.  I can't believe the BBQ was an appetizer!  Before the guests arrived, Veronica had informed me that she had known her maid Carmen for 30 years.  She had worked for her mom for 25 years.  Once her parents got sick - her mom is 74 and has had Alzheimer's for 9 years and her dad is 87 and cannot walk - they hired 24-hour nurses and Carmen came to work for them.  She said Carmen was very depressed before; she could not read or write; now she is happier.  Carmen only works during the week and seems to prepare meals from scratch so it was interesting to see how Veronica prepares food.  The four of us ladies and one of their husbands sat around the table topped with a large dish of pre-cooked chickens you buy in the grocery store (bringing back memories of when grandma used to buy them); dish full of chopped celery; plate of cut tomatoes; bowl of chopped iceberg lettuce; rice; and a delicious "ceviche" dish which was not what we would expect by our definition of ceviche. There was no raw fish - only raw vegetables - chopped mushrooms, green peppers, parsley, and perhaps some other vegie I can't remember mixed with oil, salt, pepper and who knows what else.  Shortly after, the men came in and joined us for food.  Once they finished, all the ladies cleaned up.  After washing dishes, we loaded back into the dining room for a "coffee break." The men came back in and joined.  Veronica brought out little chocolate sticks to accompany, and served everyone a bowl of canned peaches in the sweet syrup and added a sweet, thick cream on top.  THEN, as if this weren't enough she brought out Snickers bars which I thought was funny, chopped them up on a plate, and passed them around the table.  I had one piece.  I don't remember the last time I ate a Snickers.  She then opened up another candy bar and cut it up; I passed this time.  Then, she opened up a third bar and this time INSISTED I eat another one. So, I did.  I was stuffed.  We all sat around the table for a while.  Veronica's brother-in-law spoke English pretty well and was excited to practice with me.  He's an exporter of table grapes (as opposed to wine or dessert grapes) but is currently unemployed.  He was living in Peru until a few months ago because he had a project there.  The project ended and he just moved back and is very happy to be living with his family again.  His wife is a curador - creator of wine. This part of the evening was fun because they all joked and taught me slang words they use often, a few bad words they told me I shouldn't use but are good to know :), and a Chilean socialite who they described to me as a cross between Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson who had an affair with the ex-Argentian President and is now dating someone 20 years younger than her.

Everyone dispersed - kids playing outside, ladies in the other room on Facebook and Googling music videos - Shakira was up when I walked in once, and Pio bringing out his laptop and maps to give me a geography lesson.  Pio sat with and his brother-in-law and me for over an hour giving me a narration and photo journey of his travels with Veronica and the kids to Northern and Southern Chile - glaciers, desserts, lakes, etc.  After the geography lesson ended, Veronica told Pio to put the computer away.  Her other sister arrived with her boyfriend.  I smelled toast and assumed it was to feed them.  I walked into the kitchen and couldn't believe my eyes...Veronica was preparing more food for everyone!  Soon the table was set with a pineapple cake she had bought at Lider Express (grocery store) a huge basket of white toast, another sliced loaf of walnut bread, two bowls of mashed avocados (they explained to me it's not guacamole because there is no garlic, onion, spices, etc. added to it; it is only mashed avocados), sliced deli turkey meat, cheese, tea and coffee.  Everyone dug in grabbing pieces of bread, spreading avocado on top and sometimes adding a slice of meat or cheese.  Now can you understand why I will be full for DAYS?  We literally ate our way through the day...so fun though! Ha!  They assured me this is only a Sunday thing.  I sure hope so or else I'll way 500 lbs. by the time I leave here.  

It was 8pm and time to go home.  Pio said he has an appointment with his other English tutor at 10am so will pick me up at 11:30am to bring me home for lunch.  "Our house...is your house." He is so nice. Veronica's sister and boyfriend drove me back to my apartment.  Her sister is a scientist.  Her boyfriend said, "She is very smart.  Which is why...I love her."  Aw, that is sweet. She said her friend has been talking about getting an English tutor for her daughter.  She will call her and see if she is interested in using me as a tutor.  I think through relationships with family members and their friends, I will find myself a second job. :)  

Buenas noches,

Jennifer