Home. Recently, I feel more at home than at work. It's a good thing. When I studied abroad in Ghana, I opted for the dorm life rather than a home-stay, so this is an opportunity for the other kind of experience. I wake up when I feel like it (sometimes because Runa opens my door and sits on my face), get dressed and put on slippers, go eat some freshly baked bread, make myself instant coffee or tea, and then mosey around either on the computer or elsewhere in the hostel. The last few days, one of Leo's friends from high school was visiting with his wife from Brazil. Gaston and Marcia were nice, outgoing, and never ever stopped talking. But it livened up the place a bit, and Gaston was eager to share words of wisdom with me. One morning, I woke up and he was making a cup of coffee for Marcia who was still sleeping. He explained to me (in Spanish) that being in love is just like a fire that could go out if you're not careful, and that he adds a piece of wood every time he does something nice like waking her up with a kiss and a coffee. He also informed me that a Chilean proverb of sorts is that the best moments always happen around a grill. Every day, we eat a big family lunch. It seems to be a more important meal than dinner here. Gloria is an amazing cook. She has been accommodating to me, and I have been more flexible with her. When she cooked soup with chunks of beef, I still ate the broth and veggies. But when she barbecues steak, she makes me chicken on the side. Gloria has started calling me "cariño niña," which translates loosely as "darling girl." She was concerned with my cold and thinks I don't eat much, although I feel like I don't even earn all of my 3 meals a day and I am never hungry. She brings me cake in bed and we bond over loving Runa, who she told me is 6 months old but needs hip surgery already. I try to help out without her asking (like bringing out a "cafesita"--a platter of coffee fixings-- for everyone after lunch yesterday), because she doesn't ask for much. I haven't really been going out at night, partly because I don't have anyone to go out with at the moment and partly because many of the places I pass are pretty empty, but I'm fine with things being low-key for now. Hopefully when more guests arrive and the season picks up, things might change.
I'm working on making a flyer for the hostel, explaining the different Winter activities. I'm using pictures that I have taken and pictures that Gloria had on CDs. I recognized one of hers as being the exact location of one of my pictures from snow-shoeing in Parque Nacional Huerquehue. She took hers in Summer and I took mine in Winter. Pretty cool to see the transformation.
I have been following the Giants closely and "watching" games on MLB.com with a program called At Bat. I see the game in almost live time, but I don't get to see the real players or the real field. I see a digital representation of every pitch, and it looks more like a video game, but I still can follow the game. And sometimes I can chat/talk with Rael, Jericho, or Andy while it's going on and I feel right at home.
Last night, Gloria invited me to see a "folk ballet" at the Gran Hotel Pucón. We walked from the hostel, past the town square, and into the basement ballroom. The first half of the show was a mix of scantily clad teenagers doing strip-teases to American music, twenty-somethings doing Arabic belly-dancing, and children prancing around to show-tunes. The second half was an amazing mix of native cultural dances from all over South America. There were dances from Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Chile, and even way up North in Mexico (yes, I know that's not South America). I tried to take pictures without flash, but they mostly just look like blurs of skirts.
I took a few videos that came out better, so take a look if you want. If you click on the button with 4 arrows pointing to the 4 corners, the video gets bigger. The second one was hilarious. I'm not sure how well you can see, but the outfits have arms dangling from the dancers' waists and faces covering their stomachs and hats hiding their real arms. The video is kind of long, but I think it is entertaining.
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