A Night of Firsts

It's important to announce that it is now September in Chile.

Big deal, you might think. It's September everywhere. But September in Chile is a month like no other. The month of fiestas patrias, celebrating Chilean independence and indeed anything and everything Chilean! From special programs at schools, to seasonal foods and drink, to kite stands on the street corners and decorations in the supermarkets. It's a fun, fun time in Chile!

Last night, however, I experienced two Chilean firsts. (Getting called upon to stand up and make a fool of myself doesn't count; that happens on a regular basis here!) Since as I mentioned it is the month of fiestas patrias, our ladies' meeting was also decorated and designated around that theme. When the time for games rolled around, a dozen of us were chosen to play a typical Chilean game which involved circling a 2-liter glass soda bottle with a partner. However, the circling was not done by merely walking but by lifting one's heels and doing the sort of "skipping" step that is characteristic of the Chilean cueca (national dance.) The rule was that you could only look at your partner, not the bottle, while the two of you circled simultaneously but in opposite directions. Whoever managed to circle the bottle the longest (more quickly each time) without knocking it over, was the winner.

Suffice it to say, the ladies got a good chuckle out of watching me and my partner get our exercise - but justice was served, as we did not knock our bottle over and we managed to persevere to the end! (: As if that weren't enough, however, I was then called upon to do a Chilean "paya." I hadn't even heard the word before tonight, so I had to look it up on Wikipedia and then translate it for my blog readers' benefit:

The payada, called “paya” in Chile, is an art belonging to the Hispanic culture, which experienced a great development in the southern cone of South America. A single person, the payador, improvises a recitation in rhyme, sung with guitar accompaniment. When the paya is a duet is it called a “counterpoint” and takes on the form of a duel by son, in which each payador must answer in rhyme the questions of his counterpoint and then ask questions in the same manner. These duet payas often last hours, even days, and end when one of the singers does not respond immediately to the question of his counterpoint.

Paya is a very popular art form in central Chile and an extremely important part of the huaso or “country” culture.

Basically, I was given a short poem to recite while wearing the typical huaso hat and poncho. The rule was that the poem had to be read in character and with gusto!! ... I'm not sure how silly I sounded (and unfortunately a digital camera recorded my efforts for posterity) but I did the best I could. And of course the ladies got a good chuckle out of that as well!

Who knew that part of the missionary wife job description was being court jester ... (: