Saturday, September 21

Today we all woke up really late again after staying up so late the night before. I got dressed, and we all ate some breakfast and talked for a while. Then Miguel and Jorge came back over with motor bikes and invited us all to take turns riding on the back.

It was so much fun, and they offered to teach me how to drive one if my family came back over the summer. I hope we do. Then Jorge, Miguel, Seyla, Jesus, Nacho (my other cousin who arrived from Santiago last night), Maxi, and I walked to the store to buy some food, and hung out and talked for a while. Later, Nacho and I went to the park to play with the younger girls, Flo, Josefa, and Monse for a while. They are literally the cutest things in the world, and they really love me. They’re always yelling for me to come and play with them, and I love them so much. When we got back to the house, my mom had laid out a giant table full of every possible dessert including pies and a chocolate fountain. It was fantastic. I think the kids got more chocolate on their faces and clothes than in their mouths, but either way it was really yummy and also incredibly fattening (sidenote: I am already gaining weight! I really need to start exercising more and eating less but the food here is just so good! I think I’m going to have to accept the fact that I’m going to return to the US fat). Then, we went inside to get ready to go to the party that night. Nancy drove Maxi, Pedro (another cousin), Seyla, Jesus, Nacho, and I, and then we picked up Jorge and Miguel on the way. When we arrived at the bar, it was like 11, but we were the first ones there. Then a bunch of Jesus’ friends whom I had met at the rodeo arrived and we all sat down on this raised platform with couches and they ordered drinks and we talked for a while.

Everyone was really nice to me, especially the guys, and I know it was just because I’m new and my eyes are blue, but I appreciated the attention either way. After a while, everyone started singing karaoke, and even though I didn’t know the songs (or understand the lyrics for that matter), I sang too, and they passed me the microphone for a little while. Then, they turned off karaoke and the DJ came on. A guy whom I had been talking to earlier came up to me and asked me to dance. I agreed, and we were the first ones out on the dance floor.

I don’t know how to dance in America, and here the dancing is a lot more complicated than the jumping and/or grinding we do at dances in the US. This is hip shaking and rhythm and way more fun. I was enjoying myself until the dude started getting a little too close to me and putting his hands on me more than necessary. I got uncomfortable, so I excused myself to go to the bathroom, and when I got back to went over to my friends and we danced together (Except here it’s like weird to dance in a group; you have to have a partner. I danced with my cousin Nacho, but like a bunch of our friends partnered up and danced close together so it was basically a group.) I am by no means an incredible dancer, and yes it was a little awkward and embarrassing because basically having Latin blood automatically makes you a fantastic dancer and I was the only awkward clumsy gringa, but  I had a great time and we literally danced almost without interruption for 4 hours.

 

As people got drunker, things got funnier.

People started trying to talk to me in drunk and broken English, and it was hilarious. Then, around 3:45 (Nancy was picking us up at 4) Leo came up to us and told us that Jesus was really drunk after taking like 4 shots of Tequila, and that we should go help her. When we went outside to see her, we knew immediately that it was going to be a big problem. She was completely wasted. We walked her out to the car, and got her to sit in the back seat with me and Maxi in hopes that Nancy wouldn’t notice anything was wrong. During the car ride home, she threw up on the seats and the whole car started smelling like vodka. When we got to the house, I immediately asked Jesus to come with me to the bathroom, and we linked arms and walked to the bathroom. I left her there and went out to talk to my cousins. Nancy came in looking suspicious and asked to smell each of our breath. We all passed her test, and then she waited for Jesus to come out of the bathroom. We were sort of silent, and after waiting for a few minutes, Nancy knocked on the door and made Jesus open up. She found Jesus throwing up, and she seemed kind of angry, but she just calmly told us all to go to sleep and that she would deal with this. We didn’t want to make her any angrier than she was, so we all went.