Christmas and New Year's Eve

Sorry for the delay in blog postings HERE GOES:

So Larissa is here and has been coming to Domingo Savio regularly with me for lunch and then playtime with the kids. Without school the kids are a little crazy and there is not too much to do with them, so we usually just make up games and mess around with the hose.

The big thing was our Christmas dinner on Dec. 22nd before the vacation. It was special for everyone involved; D. Sav pulled out all the stops - tableclothes, fancy plates/glasses, a chocolate fountain, etc... It was also the day that everyone got presents from the Tios/Tias. And finally, it was the day I had to make good on my promise to be santa claus although it was really an excuse to grow an awesome beard. It was cute too all the kids dressed up in their finest clothes, one of the little 6 year-olds killed me in his tux with tails I wish I had a picture but I forgot my camera that day.

Heres my table at dessert time we had panque-ques (crepes) and ice cream!

So after our big meal of turkey that we roasted and other delicious items, Tio Jorge and his roommate Cristian applied clown paint to my face and I put on my santa suit while all the kids were outside singing a christmas prayer (Olga, the woman who leads the school, is pretty religious).




Above is a shot of our room/tables






Here is the damage:

They went NUTS with the paint...

So I was told to hide behind our tree and the kids would call my name (Viejito Pascuero) 3x and then I should come out and surprise everyone...



I don't know how well you can see it but I came out, hit them with the classic 2-handed Santa parade wave and walked up and down the aisle....

and proceeded to give each one presents...I had to give out like 150 presents my mouth hurt from smiling AND those glasses were prescription and hurt my eyes... but its all for the kids as they say

It was an awesome night overall...



 NEXT


That dinner was a couple days before christmas, for actual christmas day (no I did not go to church) I went to a bbq at one of the other volunteers house with a bunch of people...It was low key but I did get some sweet presents courtesy of mothers. Jen's mom sent me Avatar among other things and my mom sent me a shirt...thanks moms

For New Years we rented an apt in Vina del Mar for the long weekend but went into Valparaiso for the fireworks on new years eve. The fireworks were really legit and lasted for about a half hour. We got there really early at like 6 for the midnight show but it was worth it because the place got packed. It was also gross because people were pissing everywhere and it was like flooding the streets (side note about Chileans, they will piss ANYWHERE...on buildings, in bushes, wherever. It doesn't matter who you are either everyone from businessmen to the homeless to little kids just piss whenever and wherever they want.)

After the fireworks there was a free outdoor concert held by one of the clubs in town til like 3 in the am so we went to that and then walked home as far as we could until the buses started running again.

Heres a pretty good aerial shot, the concert was held in the plaza in the upper part of the picture...I don't think its as big as it looks here.

It took us like 3 buses and 2 hours to make a 30 minute journey but we finally made it...

It was a good new years I hope all of you had a good one as well.

Thats it for now i'm getting tired of typing but I just got back from the countryside with the kids so I'll blog and post pictures about that soon. PEACE