!Fiesta!

This past weekend was full of fiestas, first a birthday party and then a church gathering. Saturday my host family and I attended a birthday party for two young girls, relatives of the family. We got in the van and drove to what I would call a remote part of the city, off in the middle of nowhere by way of a winding and bumpy road. However, the place was calm and the view was beautiful. My host mom says that parties often take place in jardines, or small garden type locations. The birthday party lasted six hours with about 50-75 people in attendance. It was neat to see the majority of the young girls go up on stage and dance and sing in Spanish. I also got to experience the Mexican version of the piñatas. Piñatas are one of the most important parts of parties for children. There were three piñatas: one for all the children, one for just the girls, and one for just the boys. I saved a few pieces of candy that I picked up off the ground - a hard candy with strawberry flavor and filled with chili powder. Not sure who thought of this combination, but it actually tasted okay.

Sunday afternoon after mass we attended a church gathering, or what we would call a church picnic in Wisconsin. There was a lot of traditional Mexican food and I tried "mole", a piece of baked chicken covered in a somewhat spicy sauce with rice and beans. Yummy. I saw some traditional dancing, too. It was unique because some of the dances included a rhythm using instruments in their hands. Here is a sample:



In all, it was a good weekend. Upcoming fiestas: Varmond School Halloween Event and Dia de Los Muertos.

Hasta luego,

Stephanie