Despite my difficulties with the buses (I can read, I swear), I arrived at school more or less on time. Around mid-morning, Gloria and Dani brought my Dad and sister out to the charming (that's sarcasm, by the way) little Coelemu to visit my school and see where I have been planting seeds of knowledge. The school was buzzing with excitement at the prospect of setting eyes on an entire CLAN of the white species...including a male one (Brad. Ahh, sí, like Brad Peeett!) and a blonde one (Shannon. Ahh, sí, Sharon!). When they popped in to meet my usually incredibly talkative 7th grade class, every student was instantly bashful and getting them to ask questions was like pulling teeth. Naturally, the second my dad and sister left, they were practically shouting questions at me.
Sidenote: Since they have returned to the states, I field daily questions from my students concerning "Brad Pitt" and "Sharon." AND my female colleagues (don't I sound pretentious?) shamelessly gab about marrying my father in my presence. Ladies, a little discretion?
By the time the bell rang, the entire school had heard about the new visitors and the hunt began. One student spotted them getting into Gloria's car and alerted the rest of them. Within a matter of seconds, the car was swarmed with kids all trying to take pictures with their camera phones, touch the magical blonde hair, or shake hands with "Brad Pitt." For the first time since I've been here, the spotlight was not on me. Standing there on the outskirts of the commotion with my newfound breathing room was an odd sensation.
With regards to the picture taking, a comical pattern was quickly emerging. In the car, were Gloria and my Dad in the front seat, and Shannon and Dani in the backseat. Gloria, although Chilean in every sense of the word, is unusually fair-skinned with dark blue eyes. The students who were hard at work analyzing the family dynamics, took this into account...
To Gloria: "Meeess Kelsey's mom!! I want to take a picture of you!"
To Dad: "Meeess Kelsey's dad!! I want to take a picture of you!"
To Shannon: "Meeess Kelsey's seeester!! I want to take a picture of you!"
To Dani (with her dark hair and dark eyes): "And who are you?"
Gloria, of course, set them straight, assuring them that she was "one of them." The students were unfazed. "That's ok, we still want a picture. You look white enough."
After the students were forced away (Gloria started the engine, started inching forward, and rolled up the windows), we headed to my host house. From there, my host father graciously took my father and sister on a tour of Coelemu, including the historic bridge (a pile of rotting posts in a dried up river bed) and private tour of a vineyard that peaked in the 80s. We all plastered a look of feigned interest on our faces and humored the proud Bernardo as he recounted (arguably) every detail of the town's thrilling history. Once again, I will admit to taking advantage of the language barrier. During his seldom pauses, I would translate for my dad, "He's reeling off some more mind-numbing historical facts...just smile and nod and we can get this over with and get home to eat." Some might call that dishonesty. I call it efficiency.
Pictures from the winery:
(Shannon, Dani, Me, Dad, Gloria)
(our informal tour guide, Dani, Shannon, Me, Dad, my host father...with a beverage in hand...typical)
When we (finally) got back to my host home, cold and hungry, my madre had assembled a beautiful spread awaiting us. We were joined by various neighbors, friends, and (of course) Dani and Gloria. I received lots of wonderful birthday presents, including three scarves, a wooden mirror, and some glass figurines of the Virgin Mary which now reside on my bedside table. A very feliz cumpleaños it was indeed.
The birthday dinner:
(Dad, host mom, me, Shannon, Dani)
Sidenote: Since they have returned to the states, I field daily questions from my students concerning "Brad Pitt" and "Sharon." AND my female colleagues (don't I sound pretentious?) shamelessly gab about marrying my father in my presence. Ladies, a little discretion?
By the time the bell rang, the entire school had heard about the new visitors and the hunt began. One student spotted them getting into Gloria's car and alerted the rest of them. Within a matter of seconds, the car was swarmed with kids all trying to take pictures with their camera phones, touch the magical blonde hair, or shake hands with "Brad Pitt." For the first time since I've been here, the spotlight was not on me. Standing there on the outskirts of the commotion with my newfound breathing room was an odd sensation.
With regards to the picture taking, a comical pattern was quickly emerging. In the car, were Gloria and my Dad in the front seat, and Shannon and Dani in the backseat. Gloria, although Chilean in every sense of the word, is unusually fair-skinned with dark blue eyes. The students who were hard at work analyzing the family dynamics, took this into account...
To Gloria: "Meeess Kelsey's mom!! I want to take a picture of you!"
To Dad: "Meeess Kelsey's dad!! I want to take a picture of you!"
To Shannon: "Meeess Kelsey's seeester!! I want to take a picture of you!"
To Dani (with her dark hair and dark eyes): "And who are you?"
Gloria, of course, set them straight, assuring them that she was "one of them." The students were unfazed. "That's ok, we still want a picture. You look white enough."
After the students were forced away (Gloria started the engine, started inching forward, and rolled up the windows), we headed to my host house. From there, my host father graciously took my father and sister on a tour of Coelemu, including the historic bridge (a pile of rotting posts in a dried up river bed) and private tour of a vineyard that peaked in the 80s. We all plastered a look of feigned interest on our faces and humored the proud Bernardo as he recounted (arguably) every detail of the town's thrilling history. Once again, I will admit to taking advantage of the language barrier. During his seldom pauses, I would translate for my dad, "He's reeling off some more mind-numbing historical facts...just smile and nod and we can get this over with and get home to eat." Some might call that dishonesty. I call it efficiency.
Pictures from the winery:
(Shannon, Dani, Me, Dad, Gloria)
(our informal tour guide, Dani, Shannon, Me, Dad, my host father...with a beverage in hand...typical)
When we (finally) got back to my host home, cold and hungry, my madre had assembled a beautiful spread awaiting us. We were joined by various neighbors, friends, and (of course) Dani and Gloria. I received lots of wonderful birthday presents, including three scarves, a wooden mirror, and some glass figurines of the Virgin Mary which now reside on my bedside table. A very feliz cumpleaños it was indeed.
The birthday dinner:
(Dad, host mom, me, Shannon, Dani)
Did your dad ever previously appreciate what a cool name he had? :-) Feliz Cumpleanos! (I recognized that one from Dora the Explorer) and sorry, I don't know how to work the foreign language symbols on my keyboard!
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