The beginning of the...twenty-tens? what IS this decade called?

Home was great. I saw almost all of my family (I'm sorry I couldn't see you, Aunt Janet et. all!), and a few friends as well. It was nice to cuddle up in warm clothes again, drink good teas and coffee, and be with friends and family for the holidays. I'm next scheduled to return to the U.S. during the last week of May 2010.

Until then, I'm in Chile, and it's now been almost a week since I've been back here. I've been mostly hanging out, trying to figure out English class hours, and researching for this Rotary scholarship. I've also been doing a lot of eating- lots of fresh fruits (watermelon and honey dew are finally cheap and in season- yes) and, of course, catching up on my daily bread intake.

A few days ago a friend from study abroad 2 years ago came down with 3 other friends and they crashed here for a few days, which was lots of people here but lots of fun. We all ended up going down to the pier for the New Years- it was pretty incredible. Around midnight the fireworks extravaganza began. New Year in Valparaiso is always a pretty big deal, but this year it was the 200th anniversary of Chile's independence, and they were competing for a Guiness Book of World Records title of biggest New Years display and party. I don't know if they won, but it was pretty incredible. The entire coast, from Valparaiso to Con Con was lit up! And there we were, on a pier jutting out into the ocean with a pretty sweet view of EVERYTHING. There was live music, and tons of people including other friends of mine came, so it was a good night, with the exception of completely non-functional cell phone service, which made it hard to meet up with people.

Earlier during the night, Alvaro and I began preparing to make a festive meal for the 4 chiquillas staying at the place- we made our famous vegetarian lasagna (delish), some potato balls cooked in the oven (hard to describe except very slightly like a tator tot- guess who thought that potatoes and lasagna would be a good combination again?), veggies and an incredible tsatsiki (if a may say so myself), and a bomb fruit salad with a cooked strawberry sauce that I invented. I thought everything worked out well, and we celebrated with wine and champagne (from the region of Champagne, France, so it's legit to call it champagne) to top it all off. It was a nice celebration.

Since then, we had some friends over for pizza and mojitos (Alvaro gave me a pizza pan to make pizza on, complete with a cutter and server), and last night we went to a friend's costume birthday party dressed as gypsies. My costume options are severely limited here, and I even considered wearing some of Maia's costumes (that fit me oddly well) instead. The other costumes there were pretty cool, especially considering that themed parties are much less common here than in the U.S. We came with our friends, a vagabond (complete with black nail polish on his teeth), a geisha, and a leopard, and while there we saw a couple that came in as giant cartons of milk- like, complete cardboard ensembles that covered their entire bodies and faces. It was pretty incredible.

But it hasn't just been costume parties and breaking world records for large celebrations. I've been researching for the Rotary scholarship, trying to figure out where and what I want to study next year as I have the privilege to represent Rotary as an Ambassadorial Scholar. I've been trying hard to balance my criteria of academic interests, interesting cities, and SAFE cities, and it's taking a while. Right now I'm considering a few options in Quito, Ecuador, and a few in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When I have a clearer idea of my future plans, I'll let everyone know. I've also been trying to figure out where I'll get my work hours this time- I'm picking up a few more individual students, and I'll probably work a summer school as well.

It's time to soak the garbanzo beans- I'm making falafel tonight to use up the tsatsiki. I hope everyone is warm, not too blizzard-ed out, and that 2010 is a good year for everyone. sending love and hugs!