I don't normally get involved with the celebrations for Fiestas Patrias or the national holidays. Reason being, I feel nowadays there is little independence to refer to. I always wonder how the native people in our country feel during these celebrations.  But let’s face it; it is a great opportunity to have a relaxing time. I used to go to barbeques with friends or house parties but I never enjoyed going to fondas in Santiago because I always found them over-crowded and over-priced. In fact the only fonda I ever really enjoyed was 10 or 12 years ago when I went to Algarrobo. I went with my darling husband, a British friend of his, Karen, and a very good Chilean friend of mine, Claudio. Connie, Claudio’s girlfriend at the time, was there too. Claudio's parents have a house in Algarrobo and we went to stay there for a couple of days. It was great being near the beach and getting some fresh sea air. Also, the weather was warm and sunny during the daytime and not too cold in the evenings.

The fonda was on the main road leading into Algarrobo and we went twice on consecutive evenings. There were lots of people but the atmosphere was friendly. We did the typical things like play some games, eat empanadas and drink chicha. There was music and people dancing cueca. Later on we drank piscolas and danced (shuffled about!!) to cumbias.

We all enjoy our national holiday for different reasons, I suppose.

Write about a Fiestas Patrias celebration you remember:

Say:

When it was,

What you did,

Who you were with,

Why you enjoyed it.

Mention anything else you think is interesting. Write at least 250 words. Leave a comment on your teacher’s blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

If you have extra time, visit www.plataforma.uchile.cl