A Birthday Party, Chilean Style

Hi Everyone!

It seems like a long time since I posted anything, but it probably hasn´t been that long. With the three day weekend packed with events it felt full and long (check Anna´s blog, she highlighted our holiday weekend). Here are some pictures of our time in Caldera including the 10 year old birthday party we went to.

We had dinner at "Empanopolis" which is a little joint where they deep fry 34 different kinds of Empanadas!

Left to Right: Far left is an English teacher from Caldera, next Loreto who is a coordinator of our program, then Anna, me, Joe (volunteer in Caldera) and Nick (volunteer in Copiapó)

Celery Salad! They pulled out the little ribs on the celery so it was smooth and tasty :). Add a little parsley, lemon juice, and walah! An awesome salad.

They told me what these were called, but like every new spanish word it takes several times before I can remember it. Anna and I helped make these little appetizers.

Mini-Empanadas! Anna and I are definately going to make these when we get home. They are easy to eat and delicious.

Brazo del Reina or "Arm of the Queen." Of course they are filled with Manjar! This is the cake the kids ate and the big more traditional one for us the parents ate.

A baloon arch that Anna and I helped make. The girls who made this arch were amazing! It is easy to make and looks very festive.

More balloons! I was blowing them up and Anna was holding them.

The big event. I don´t even know his name, but Joe´s host brother turned 10 and this was the big "Happy Birthday"-blow out the cake event. Overall, the whole party was very similar to one in the U.S.

A Piñada! I think the piñada came from México, but this one you don´t wack with a stick. The person holding it up drops it and then suddenly stops it so the bottow blows out and all the candy comes crashing down. Very entertaining to watch.

I was tempted to get in there and grab some candy, but I resisted the temptation ;).

The party was very fun and like Anna said Joe´s host family made us feel as if we were part of the family. It was cool to see how Chileans celebrate a Birthday and we got to eat a TON of good traditional food. I hope you guys enjoyed the pics! Hasta luego!