Four Weeks

I realised yesterday that tomorrow will be four weeks since I left Britain! That's crazy. It doesn't feel like it been four weeks at all. It feels like it's been so quick. Things here are settling into a bit more of a routine. Of course this has to be disrupted by a week-long holiday to celebrate Chilean Independence Day on the 18th. I've been so busy with work and then exploring at the weekends that the time just seems to have flown past. But saying that I still have 11 more months to get through sounds like a lot! Starting to realise how long that's going to be. I really miss my ring. I didn't bring it because they advised us not to show off our jewellery so that we'd be less likely targets to thieves. Crime isn't too much of an issue here really.
Oh well.

Escuela 1

Independence Day here is a really big thing. Can't remember if I've mentioned that already. It's actually bigger than Christmas as the whole month is full of different activities. Last night we went to the Velada Patriotica. All the schools in Lautaro had to dance a dance from a different area and era of Chile. There were some really good performances. Chileans really go all out on the costumes and props. We watched the staff at escuela 6 building props and sewing costumes for the past couple of weeks. Escuela 6 did the local dance from Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The staff had made giant moai statues and flowers and loads of other props. The kids were in Island clothes of skirts body paint. They looked really good. The dance was really good as well. We were so excited. We hadn't watched any of the rehearsals so that we would get the full effect and it was well worth it! We were cheering like crazy. Saw some kids we knew in the audience. A little boy in one of my classes gave us some biscuits.

Today we went to escuela 6 for a teacher lunch. In typical Chilean style we arrived about half an hour late and the meal hadn't even started yet. We all chatted and watched a video of last nights dance, before tucking into a mountain of empanadas. All the teachers left after about an hour when all the food was gone.
We had more empanadas tonight and will probably have eaten many more by the time this month is out.
Don't know quite what our plan for the weekend is. We may be watching some sport tomorrow and we'll be wandering around looking at all the markets and just taking in the atmosphere. Hopefully it'll be sunny again as it was a little cloudy today.