estoy enamorado (i'm in love)

As I sat with my host mamá this morning drinking café and looking out over city from their living room, she said, "Un otro día in Chile." (Another day in Chile.)  

today is a new day. My internet is finally working. I won't go through all the details, but we'll just say it was a long and complicated process. When the Apple tech support guy finally got it working, I almost cried with joy..literally.

More importantly, now I can put pictures online. Here is how I watch the day wake up in Chile...

This is my view from the balcony of their little casita. It has been rainy since I got here, but I love the rain. It rained all night and this morning, but it has cleared off. And, it is a gorgeous day. 

Yesterday, I went with my family to the home of their cousin, Karen, for her birthday. Here is a pic of the mountains on the way there:

And, this is only half of why I'm already in love...

When we got to Karen y Christian's home, I was immediately surrounded by so much love. I love how in Latin countries they always kiss when they greet each other. Why don't we do that in America? It's just so much more sweet.

Their family is amazing. And big. About 30 people were cozily tucked into the little home which was about a thirty minute drive from Valparaiso. I stayed inside playing with the little kids and drinking wine with Rosa and Rosio (my host mother and daughter). They are very proud of their wine here. And, they told me all about the different locations of the vineyards throughout Chile, which ones were their favorite and which ones had the best uvas (grapes).

Sometimes, I would just sit at the table with everyone around me and listen to them talk. I just sat there and fell in love with these people. Their genuineness rings in their laughter, and they love each other so much. It was like my heart got so big, it went out into my arms, and I wanted to wrap my arms around them.

Later, I sat with Guillermo, Claudio's (my host father) father. The creases from his eyes were always there because he was always smiling. He was a sailor, and he had traveled to the states on a six month tour. He asked me about lyrics to American music and their meaning. He made me laugh with his questions and the way he pronounced english words. And, he laughed at me as I tried but failed miserably at understanding the convoluted Chilean slang. 
Then he asked me if I would translate a book in english to Spanish. I said yes meekly, wondering at how much translating he was going to need. It turned out that it was an automobile manual. If my dad is reading this, he is probably laughing because he knows I don't know anything about cars. In fact, that's an understatement. I'm doing good if I remember to get an oil change. Even while translating a car manual, his calm nature made me feel so at ease.

We ate a big meal during the day and just spent the day playing card games, watching the final game between Uruguay and Paraguay and playing with the niños. This is outside as Claudio grilled, pollo asado...

Then later in the evening, we sat around the table for what they call "once" (pronounced: on-say), which is a small meal they eat in the evenings. It's usually little rolls, cheese, ham, butter, and slices of cake or something sweet. As we sat around the table and their cousins, Christian and Carlos made me laugh as they told me about different Chilean "modismos" (Chilean slang words).
Then the lights went off, and it seemed that no one really knew what was going on. But, I saw the glow of candles from the hallway, and one of the cousins carried in a birthday cake for Karen. Everyone began singing Feliz Cumpleaños to Karen. It was so special, and as I thought about how wonderful it was to be in the I was in the midst of such a wonderful family, I thought of my own and wondered what they were up to.

Here is a picture of my sweet Chilean family (Claudio, Rosa, Rosio  Hernández and me):

Chao chao. will add more pics later. :)