Anyway, on the evening of the 31st my friend Marcelo picked me up around 10 to go spend New Years with his family. Marcel
o had told me that there would be around 30 people at his house, and I didn't believe him until I went into his backyard and saw an incredibly long table set up. He took me around and introduced me to his family. Everyone in his family was incredibly nice and immediately friendly, and there was actually another American girl there who had been living with his uncle's family as an exchange student so that was cool.Before dinner we were all standing around in the yard talking and people were asking me tons of questions about where I was from, what I studied, what I thought about Argentina, etc. They also had me try Fernet with Coke, which is apparently the most popular drink in Cordoba. Mom, I'm sure you've heard of Fernet because it came over originally from Italy. It's really hard to say exactly what it is, but I guess it's most similar to Jaegermeister (hence the mixing with coke before drinking). It's definitely something to get used to, but, of course, I told everyone that I loved it :).
We sat down to a
traditional Argentine asado (barbeque) around 11:30 PM and everything was delicious. Then, around halfway through the meal, someone started counting down and I realized that 2009 was only 10 seconds away. We all finished the countdown, and then everyone started toasting their glasses, hugging, and kissing. Moments later, the fireworks started, and all of us went out into the streets to check it out. Marcelo's family had a bunch of their own and people were setting them off everywhere. There definitely are not the same safety regulations regarding fireworks in Argentina as there are in the states!
After around a h
alf-hour in the street, we all headed inside to finish eating. After the meal people were sitting around talking, playing foosball, etc., and all the sudden I heard Marcelo, and then the rest of his family, begin to chant "fondo, fondo, fondo," (basically meaning "to the bottom") and they handed me a big vase full of Fernet and Coca-cola, from which I then had to drink. Later on, when I saw the number of people who took their turns after me, I was happy that I had been the first.Overall, it was a fantastic night. Everyone was dancing, laughing, joking, and just having a great time. Everyone was just so nice to me, and Marcelo's grandmother even told me that she considers me her granddaughter. It was truly a unique and awesome experience to be able to celebrate New Years in another country with such a large family full of love and laughter.
Hope everyone had a fanstastic night with family or friends. I miss you all.
Kate
