Each time I think I have something down, things get turned around, and I am humbly reminded that there is still a lot to learn. In addition to the ever-present need to learn and communicate more clearly in Spanish (el castellano), there is also a number of life lessons which come as regularly, but in a more subtle and thought provoking manner. Luckily, Sarah and I have great friends here who are more like family, and this is never more evident in the ways in which they treat us. We have been invited to lunches, dinners, included in family outings, and become part of the circle of friends (un grupo de amigos) that will extend not only for our visit, but throughout our lives (nuestras vidas).Case in point is something that happened last week (la semana pasada), we were supposed to go and see a series of movies in which our friend Taty's son, Nacho, had a film as well. Well, we waited too long to get a ticket and the event was sold out early in the afternoon. Without missing a beat, Juan and Taty decided to invite us to a dinner (una cena) of traditional Chilean food in a rustic and authentic setting. Even in this casual setting among friends like family the cultural lessons continue (las lecciones culturales continúan).
We head out for dinner around 9 PM, which still takes some getting used to for us. We are usually closer to heading to bed around that time, even on a weekend, than we are to getting ready to eat dinner. Dinner back home is a big meal around 6 PM, and usually dinner here in Santiago is something smaller in size, but always later in the evening. During the day, there is usually a small breakfast, a mid-morning break, a large lunch (un almuerzo). Later in the day, traditionally there was a late afternoon snack (once) that most people just call dinner these days. As well, the traditional dinner is served later.
Anyway, we left around 9 PM and made it to a wonderful restaurant that specialized in authentic Chilean foods, especially roasted meats. We started the evening with the national drinks of Chile - pisco sours and of course, we added red wine (vino tinto) during the main course. We were then served a salad consisting of tomatoes, onions and chili (ají), as well as freshly baked bread (pan asado). What followed as the main course was a platter of with all kinds of sizzling meat with hot coals underneath set down on the center of the table. The meat skillet (parrillada) included beef (carne), chicken (pollo), sausage (salchicha) and even cow’s stomach, which I ate with a little hot sauce. It was all cooked to perfection and continued to roast right in front of us throughout our evening meal.
Yet, it is not just a “dine and dash”, “hit and run”, “eat and greet” function. No, it is a more relaxed event that includes conversation, catching up on events, actually listening to one another and sharing each others company, like family. Being so far from home, this is a welcomed feeling, but also a subtle reminder of the type of effort we need to have with friends back home as well. Our friends treat us like family (la familia), but they are also constant mentors in how we should be as human beings (seres humanos). Our dinner rolls into desert and a nightcap, and once we leave the restaurant, it is nearly 1 AM. We get home around 1:30 AM, and have a bit of time to reflect on such another different experience (una experiencia diferente) this time for dinner, which was more of an event than a meal. Yet, it was also another time to learn from our hosts and friends, and to see the blessings that are in our daily lives.
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