I have been "adopted" by my friend, Analia's parents. They live about a 2.5 hour bus ride from Montevideo, but I have stayed with them three times. Every time they receive me like I am their third daughter. I love the town they live in. It is a lot more laid back than Montevideo, and almost everyone in town heads to the beach every evening to spend a few hours drinking mate and watching the sunset before heading home for supper.
I just returned from this town, Colonia del Sacramento, Sunday evening. I was there for six days helping prepare for Ivana's wedding. Ivana is Analia's older sister. Saturday was the wedding and it was hotter than any day I have experienced in Uruguay. It was in the 100's all day and impossible to think about putting on more clothes than a bathing suit. The wedding started at 9:00pm, but unlike the United States, the time on the invitation was the time people started arriving. Uruguay is in the middle of a horrible drought, all of the farms are suffering horribly from the lack of rain, and of course at 8:55 the skies opened up and it rained harder than I have seen since I have been down here. No one could complain about the rain though, because it is so terribly needed here and it cooled off significantly. There were more smiles than grumbles about the rain. When the rain let up around 9:45, we went outside for the ceremony and it was a gorgeous starry sky backdrop to have a wedding. The ceremony was not much different from that in the United States. After the ceremony, we went inside to the reception.
The reception went a bit like this... appetizers, everyone dancing, more appetizers, more dancing, asado, dancing, pasta, dancing, dessert, dancing, bride and groom putting on big hats and bringing out whistles and masks for everyone and spraying foam everywhere, dancing, all of the single girls pulling rings out of the cake (the one who pulled the gold ring is the next to get married), cutting cake, eating cake, dancing, dancing... and leaving when the sun was coming up at 6:30 in the morning! I was told they were supposed to serve coffee and breakfast, but they ran out of time. I now understand why we took time out on the wedding day to take a nap!
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OK, Mary, enough of this 100 deg weather stuff! It's so cold here that ice has formed on the inside of the windows, and the snow crunches when you walk on it. Let's work on sending some of your warmth over the internet... you work on getting it sent and I'll work on receiving it! Sounds like you're having lots of fun on your winter break. Did you do the Cha Cha slide at the wedding????? You could have taught everyone how!
By the way, what is mate? I may try out this evening ritual next summer... all I need is a beach! Maybe your Dad can start an evening mate vespers by the lake!??
Was great to hear from you. Take care.
Please tell Analia and her parents what an answer to prayer they are. Did you tell them you know quite well how to be the third daughter! Although we haven't been as cold as Doug (we're in the 30's), that 100 degrees on the beach sounds wonderful! I told your dad I think vespers on the lake this summer sounds wonderful. We will definitely invite Doug and Penny! You will be in charge of the mate and the asado.
Sounds like everyone had a great time! How could you not, but you neglected to tell us who got the gold ring!?!?
As enjoyable as the warm weather sounds, I am sitting in P-burg enjoying my "Snow Day" today and apparently I may be enjoying them for several more days, as we are expected to receive several inches of snow this week! Wouldn't you love going sleigh riding down the hill by DBR at MC?!?! Maybe next year!
Glad you're having so much fun on your break! Enjoy! We Love You!
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