La Virgen del Carmen

So sorry! This blog seems to be going down hill because I have been so bad at updating! Im trying not to use the computer very much because I need to improve my Spanish and well.... typing in English doesnt help that. Between the time it takes to type a message for my blog and load all my pictures up, it takes like 45 minutes to write an entry.

But, now to an actual update. Last weekend there was a parade in Curicó. the whole weekend was festivities and so I didnt have school yesterday! I feel like every week here there is something going on! I believe the base of the festivities was the parade of the Virgin Carmen. A bunch of men walk her statue through all the streets of Curicó. It was so beautiful!

A common amazing Chilean thing that I see here is the muscians in the picture to the left. They have a strap connected to their foot so that when they stomp, it bangs some tamborines (is that the word?) together above their head. They also use sticks to bang on their drums and sometimes have a harmonica in their mouth. Then, they start to dance really fast in a circle, keeping all the instrument sounds in a rythm. It is super hard and really cool to watch. On Sunday there was a whole group of them playing in the Plaza with a bunch of little boys too, it was so cute!

After the parade, I wanted to take a picture next to a huaso on a horse. When I tried to take the picture, he jumped off his horse and insisted that I take it ON the horse. So, remembering my horse camp training and manuvering with a skirt, I swumg myself up there and took a picture. So there it is!

Yesterday was "dia de los tios", the equivalent of "teacher appreciation day". It was a complete surprise for our teachers. We gave our homeroom teachers presents and then had an auditorium. But what I thought was really funny is what happened with out home room teacher. He is our professor de gym class. Every time there is a birthday here (on ly for the boys), all their classmates basically ambush them, grab their legs and arms and in a circle fling them into the air. The they bring them back down until they almost touch the ground and all kid the birthday kid in the butt and fling them back up again. They count up to the number of years the birthday kid is turning. Ive heard that it really is painful..... im sure it is.,... well yesterday they did it to my profe! I dont know why he ended up agreeing but he did... Chile is so different than the US.

Last thursday Fani competed in a debate, in English! and they received third place! I was so proud of her! I got to go and us American girls rode in the back of our teacher´s pick-up truck to debates. That was random but I had to fit it in.

During the auditorium yesterday, Fani performed a traditional Chilean dance with her classmates, in front of the school! Here is that picture.

Alright and the last piece of information is that this morning I was on my way to school on my bike. I had made it only to my corner, saw an escolar (kinda like a school bus but a yellow van) and stopped at the corner. I should have stopped more on the sidewalk but my the front wheel was partly in the street. The driver didnt watch at all, went to turn into the street and pulled my bike under the van. I jumped completely off my bike and watched it fall under the van. the lady jumpe out and startd yelling at me and then a witness started yelling at her and it was just a mess. Luckily im not hurt and the police are talking to the women to make her pay for the bike. hopefully she will.. it´s completely wrecked. I guess I just have bad luck with bikes huh?

Thanks for reading this and hopefully the long entry partly made up for like lack of writing.

Love and miss you all!