Two birthdays, One weekend

This was the weekend of birthdays!

My Tico brother, Ariel, turned 23 today. But the celebration was last night. Josefa (my mom) told me yesterday morning about the party they were having, a BBQ with "carne asada", but I didn't realize that I had been invited. I have been spending my Saturdays with the Duggan family which has become my weekly siesta from culture. I had been at their house for most of the day, and was dropped off around 9:30.
As soon as I walked in the door, Josefa took me to the backyard up to the casita, and began introducing me to all of Ariel's friends. I was seated in a stool and given a coke, and immediately two thoughts flashed through my mind: 1) I should have showered today, if only I had realized the party was tonight. and 2) Why didn't I shower today? Looking cute is a big confidence booster when you are the Gringa who speaks bad Spanish. Physical appearance is a big deal here, and I did not have my party clothes on. Oh well.
I spent a good portion of the evening sitting quietly and observing those around me. Ariel's friends were very welcoming and asked me questions and offered me food. I was thankful, especially since I haven't learned party etiquette yet, and I didn't know if I was expected to stay the entire evening. I was thankful for a guy named Andres, who engaged me in conversation and encouraged me through my many mistakes. He speaks wonderful English, but graciously allowed me to practice conversing in Spanish. Everyone stayed until around midnight, then started heading out. I thought the party was over. I thought wrong. As we all filed through the house, Josefa asked me if I was going with them to the discotec. Oh boy. She really encouraged me to go, and I found myself in a car with four of the people I had just met a couple of hours earlier, and off we went to the discotec. It was actually a lot of fun. A couple of the girls either appreciated the fact that I was trying really hard not to be a social looser, or maybe they just felt sorry for me, either way they were kindly "showing me the ropes" of the discotec, and I appreciated their help.
At about 3:00am, part of the group was headed off to another club, and Andres told Ariel that they would take me home. I was in bed by 3:30, laughing to myself that I just experienced my first very typical birthday celebration for young adults in Latin America. It was fun to have been included, but what I was most excited about was the fact that I'm finally feeling a level of personal and intimate comfort with my Tico family, a comfort that allows me to engage in their lives, more as a daughter and less of a boarder.

Today was the birthday of the daughter of the niece of Josefa. She was turning one, and the party was a Disney Princess themed family reunion. Josefa asked if I had planes today, and invited me to go with the family. I eagerly agreed thinking that this was an opportunity where they are inviting me into their personal lives, and there was no way I was going to pass up the offer. There were probably 50+ people at the party, all related. There were hot dogs, snow cones, balloons, a clown show, it was amazing. Josefa and Alfredo introduced me to the birthday girl's family, who then took me around to meet everyone else. And I mean everyone else. Think "My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding", because that is what it felt like. And one Tio kept informing me of which men were married and which men were single. Unfortunately Tio Raul was there, and he must have taken a liking to me because he followed me around for most of the party, and then asked if he could call me sometime. AWKWARD!!! I had dropped the word "novio" several times during our conversations, but apparently the hits weren't taken.
Overall it had been a very fun afternoon, and I was thankful to have been able to experience another aspect of Tico culture: the family. I enjoyed many conversations with cousins, grandmothers, aunts and proud uncles, and the weather was amazingly perfect!

This has been one of the more eventful weekends I've spent here, and it was a nice change from staying in the house and studying. I am interested to see what other opportunities will come up, to spend more time with the family, and hopefully get to know them a little better.