matrimonio chileno!

Hey, I have not updated this in so long!!! I feel so much has happened, the time is really flying by. I am finally actually getting into school. Just realized how much reading I was supposed to be doing...oops. First test in two weeks! Soooo in the time since my birthday...I went to a huge, beautiful chilean wedding. So gorgeous. It was the wedding of my mom's brother's son aka her nephew. Basically it was off the hook because his dad (my mom's bro) is the minister of health of CHILE that's right. I am famous. I put up an album on facebook of the wedding and then had to take it down bc people might have published the pictures!!! ahhh! Crazy dude, but dont worry i will show you some pics on here, just none of Jaime Mañalich, my important tío. There were around 400 guests, the ceremony was held in the court yard of a mansion out in the country. Let's just say wedding toasts about love sound a lot less corny in a romance language. After the ceremony there were waiters weaving through the crowd with cocktails and little finger foods and there were SUSHI tables!!!!! YUM. Chileans pronounce sushi like suchi and shopping=chopping. Made understanding their english a lot easier after I knew that.

Then we were ushered into the party area. Beautiful, you'll see. Pool with rose petals, fresh flowers everywhere. A four course meal for all the guests. Famous beatles band in chile? DJ, lots of dancing. It was hellza awkward for an hour or so because basically everyone over 16 brought a date and thus I was veeery awk for a while, flying third wheel style. But then it was ok. My dad is such a crazy dancer!!! He's so cool. Food all the time. Free bar all the time. Beautiful chileans being fun all the time. Great experience to have here.

I also went to Mendoza, Argentina for Easter weekend, or here known as Semana Santa. It is a small city in comparsion to Santiago, and Argentinian accents are ridiculous. Everyone immediately knew we were from Chile because of our accents!! yaaay. Um had a FAT steak with salad, mashed potatoes, bebida and postre for about ten bucks wtf! Found really cool jewelry and by found I mean bought. Couch surfed first day, hostel the next. But a lot of stuff was closed bc of semana santa so it was a bit fome (laaaaame). But the Argentinians we stayed with were super nice and funny, oh but some other gringa that was staying with them (there was also an italian girl) TOOK MY PANTS, so mad. And i also broke my phone of course.

Wrote 6 pages in spanish, sooo hard, but mostly because I was trying to sound smart and not like a 3 year old. hahaah. I was discussing the economic model of chile and the elitist politics, I know I am awesome.

Whenever I go out, usually there are Chileans so I speak in spanish I would say 75% of the time here. When it is just me, Steph and Melissa (my bffs here) we usually speak in english cuz its kind of dumb not to, but we have chilean friends that are super cute! Every Tuesday we go to this place with them that has cueca dancing (the official dance of chile) it is modeled after how chickens dance? I dont know. It's really hard, and both people wave hankerchiefs around and dance in a circle with hard dance steps haha. They are cute chilean hippies and play the acordion, guitar and maybe bass not sure? I also sometimes hang out with the "militares" as we call them bc its a group of boys that are from the military. Kind of freaky though because they studied (only for two weeks) at the Escuela de las Americas aka the US training for south american armies that commit lots of human rights abuses...They are kinda boring too. haha. But I get to practice my spanish!

I also went to Viña del mar and valparaíso. Awesome!! But that will be another post. Ahora las fotos!

The two gringas I hang out with most! But Melissa (on the left isn't exactly a gringa bc she is mexican and speaks fluent spanish..), then there is cutie Steph on the right of the picture. And yes we are taking tequila shots, that's right IM TWENTY ONE! hahahahha no longer inappropriate.
Our couch-surfing hosts in Mendoza. German y Diego. Crazies, as you can see!
But also sweethearts, as you can see!
Delcious dessert at the wedding.
Bride and groom. So cute.
So so cute.
My brother, Benja and padre, Claudio!
The groom's brother (grey vest) sang and was awesome.

And down below is the extravagant pool with petals and wedding cakie!