Mostly Pictures

After the excitement of marking our one month leveling-up, this week has been a fairly uneventful one, since we’re spending the entire thing at “school.” It’s pretty furiously boring, and since we have no respite from class this week, we’re all turning a tad bit rebellious. The fact that the vegetarian lunches (catered from a nearby restaurant) included only rice and boiled yucca a few days almost started a riot! But, watcha gonna do. (We’ve been promised we’ll get beans from now on with our rice EVERY day, woot!)

Anyway, this past weekend was my abuelo’s 74^th birthday, which meant that we had their two grown up children staying in the house for the weekend with their siblings, spouses, and kids…and also meant that I spent more time with small children in two days, one-on-one, than I think I ever have. Once I locked my bedroom door so they could no longer access my belongings in order to fit as many as possible in their mouths, our relations improved…

Sunday was the day of the party, which started with visitors around 4 and although food wasn’t served until 9, the evening got progressively more entertaining as my technical host brother served me multiple “shots” of aguadiente. (“Shots” because shots here mean taking a miniature plastic shot glass and filling it a third to half full for each shot. Aguadiente is anise flavored but clear; if vodka and jaeger had a baby, it would be this. I sort of really like it but for others it’s more of an acquired taste)

Highlights of the evening included taking this, my favorite picture from Colombia thus far—(my host grandpa):

Putting out Christmas decorations (up for good) included stringing flashing Christmas lights over every available surface inside the house. These lights all flash at different time intervals (epileptics beware):

 

My abuelo telling the entire party contingent how bad I was at Spanish multiple times…but then making all the people clear out at the end of the photo op time so he could take a picture with “his new daughter!”

 

The adults having the small children (yes, one still in diapers and holding her babydoll), show me how to salsa, and completely showing me up:

Meeting the extended the fam:

 Here's granddaughter Mary Louise showing me my favorite fruit here, a star fruit:

Celebrating Christina's bday Colombian style...aka getting Aguila and cake and hanging out on the patio for hours:

Meanwhile, we were the local entertainment for the night (all sorts of Colombians gathering outside the gate to see what all the gringos were doing in their barrio):

Here's Katie as we sample some more local fare, including “vegetarian” pizza, which once we made sure to exclude the tuna came with mushrooms, onions, and CUCUMBERS

 And here Tyler is eating "Salchipappas," aka frenchfries tossed with fried hotdog slices then topped with lettuce, fried cheese, grated cheese, ketchup, ranch sauce, thousand island dressing-esque sauce, and in some cases, pure oil drizzles as well (!)