Flowers are blooming!! :-) Which means it is actually getting warmer! I really hope that we have good weather this weekend because there is a huge Pena this weekend here at Casa Ursalina. A Pena (Pen-ya) is a social gathering, for which the purpose is to raise money. It has been sounding like it is going to be quite the event too! Last time I heard, there were 204 tickets sold for the big night, which is Saturday.
The event will have music and dancing and, of course, lots of food! There will be many different kinds of foods and deliciousness, which many of the women who are part of Casa Ursalina will be helping to put together!! But aside from the food, during this time of the year its very common for everyone to dance the Cueca, which is the national dance of Chile, because the 18th of September is Independence day!!!
Therefore, we all decided that it may be appropriate to be somewhat familiar with the dance. So, this evening we went to a community hall up the road, where free lessons were being given, and it was loads of fun! The dance is complex, but once you learn all of the parts (which there are four) and understand the flow, it really is enjoyable. The Cueca is meant to be danced between a man and a woman, where the man, in a way, has to win over the lady. My first dance partner for the night was a little boy of about 12 years and he was absolutely hilarious. His name was Andres and he captured the flirtatious vibe of the dance very well. Everytime we would start, he would approach me and have the cutest smile on his face. And then dancing with him was an experience too because he was literally all over the place. It was really quite adorable. I had a wonderful time! Everyone was very welcoming to us and we all laughed together, and at ourselves, so that made for a great atmosphere! Now I am looking forward to showing off my new skill this weekend hehe…
