Bicentenario: 200 years of Chile!

The 200th anniversary of Chile's independence was this weekend, the 18th, in September! How lucky are we to come during the biggest celebration in years of this country! The 18th was when Chile gained independence, and the 11th was when General Pinochet overthrew President's Allende's communist government in the 1970s.  So, it was sort of weird to be celebrating both but everyone in Chile did.  We got back from Talca on Friday night, and I just slept the whole way threw. Saturday a group of the gringos went to La Moneda where we saw a lightshow that was reflected on the facade of La Moneda in downtown, the first year of this! It was a mix of Chilean history and culture, and then broke down some sick beats that I recorded, such as "Gracias a la Vida." It was awesome!

Sunday I went to Parque O'Higgins in downtown Santiago, and it was insane! There were people everywhere, and not just students my age, but parents, little children, people in families, people by themselves, every type you could imagine.  The smell in the air was by far the best: lots and lots of carne.  There was so much meat for sale on the side of every road, and grilled or fried or slathered in oil. They do love their oil here! I almost puked. Not as bad as the time I went to the Mercado Central though..ughh. I got to try my first Terremoto though (Earthquake).  I'm not sure what was in it, but I tasted wine, ice cream, and some type of sweetness that I think was grenadine.  I spent an hour and a half dancing at this inside tent that I later found out was catered and paid for by the Communist Party in Chile (that part was a mistake) but it was still really fun! The difference between Chilean men and American men is that in Chile, men actually dance! There were so many couples, young and old, on the dance floor that were moving their hips and going strong after hours! It was so cool to watch.

After the park I went to Becca's house, where we then went to a small party at the friend of her brother's.  It was really chill, and then the next thing we knew it was a dance party! The awesome thing was that both the boys and the girls were dancing.  Becca and I eventually jumped in, and were taught by a girl that the secret to Latin American dancing was making a strong figure-8 with your hips. After that, you're in.  Try it out, it works.