While you guys were off electing on Tuesday, we were also enjoying some free time for All Saints Day. Just as All Saints Day probably doesn't bring many traditions to mind for you, nor me, Halloween has just as little significance to the locals here. It's doubtful Halloween ever made my top 3 list for holidays, but pumpkins, costumes, and CANDY are not customs that any child should miss out on regardless of her nationality. So, I took some candy over to the Cristo Viene Girls' Home on Sunday night and innocently enough told them "Happy Halloween!"
Little did I know that they would immediately extract from me all the details of trick-or-treating and within minutes be loading into my car to experience this novelty for themselves. Completely against my better judgement I hauled 22 people back to my house to pick up plastic grocery bags and hit the streets, costume-less.
My neighborhood is a bit heavier on gringos than most, so there were actually a few families prepared for the squealing young mob of estrogen running from house to house screaming some attempt at "Trick-or-Treat!" After about half an hour and a quick stop at the playground they contentedly climbed back into my car and counted their loot = 4 pieces of what might as well have been pure gold! In their utter ignorance of the fact that they should have had 4 kilos of candy, they were ecstatic!
My neighborhood is a bit heavier on gringos than most, so there were actually a few families prepared for the squealing young mob of estrogen running from house to house screaming some attempt at "Trick-or-Treat!" After about half an hour and a quick stop at the playground they contentedly climbed back into my car and counted their loot = 4 pieces of what might as well have been pure gold! In their utter ignorance of the fact that they should have had 4 kilos of candy, they were ecstatic!
Making sure to take full advantage of my car while my new friend, Hernan, the tow-truck-driver's not monopolizing it; Tuesday we hauled 17 people to the botanical gardens for a day in the sun, and shade whenever we could find it. Toyota's 10 passenger design is really just a loose guideline.
Highlights of the day: While the lagartos (alligators), and ñandú (rhea) who joined us for lunch were fun, the feature attraction was the sighting of the ardillas, wait for it...get ready...SQUIRRELS! Does it get any better than this? Other highlights: the Talita Cumi kids who joined us didn't all pace themselves and therefore some wore out mid-morning, but a quick restful piggy-back ride and another new American tradition -- PB&J -- and they were back to full strength, and ready for the playground. Where we close with one of my favorite moments; Angélica teaching me how to swing, as if it was my very first time...
1 comment:
Well, you could have forgotten how to swing!
Sounds like the best Halloween ever! You really are shaking things up down there, new holidays, peanut butter and jelly, what's next?
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