Día de Los Niños

Growing up, I never understood why there was a Mother's Day and a Father's Day, but not a Kid's Day! Well, guess what!? Here in Chile, they do things right and have a Kid's Day! It is called Día de Los Niños.  My mom (US mom) always said that we didn't have a Kid's Day because everyday is Kid's Day, and when I explained this to my mamá chilena, she totally agreed and said that she thought this day was ridiculous! Regardless of what everyone thinks, I had a wonderful day :) To start off the story of today, last night I asked my mamá what time we were going to leave today to go to Valparaíso for the events, and she told me that we would be leaving early, probably after breakfast.  I thought this meant around 9:30 or so, when breakfast is normally finished around my house, so I was up and ready to go by then. However, typical Chilean move, we didn't even leave until 12:30! I really think that the reason I'm here is because God wanted me to learn patience. And after five months of untimeliness and slow walking in the Chilean way of life, I think I'm going to have to learn! Anyway, we left and made our way to Valparaíso from there. There were blow up activities (climbing walls, slides, jumping arenas, etc.) for all of the kids, for gratis - free! See picture of Esme loving life below:

After that, we went to a restaurant called J Cruz, one of the most famous restaurants inValpo for it's Chilean dish called choriana! All it composes of is greasy french fries, onions, beef, and a little bit of cheese. While I was not that impressed, with a little bit of salt it was alright! See said grease-mound below:

After that oh-so-delectable meal, we made our way back to Viña del Mar, where we attended the events for Kid's Day there too! My hermanita, Esme, was in hog heaven. I seriously don't know if I've ever seen a bigger smile on any kid's face in my life. She definitely got spoiled today, with sweets, toys, and games galore, but hey, I guess that's what Kid's Day is for! When Esme was finally satisfied with her day, we all went to McCafé (McDonald's version of a coffee shop, it actually was just as nice/nicer than any Starbucks I've been to in the States), and enjoyed some coffee and treats. To walk that off, we went to a fería (outdoor artisan market by the beach), and just enjoyed some time by the beach looking at souvenirs! Overall, a wonderful day spent with family.  Every minute that I get to spend with my host family, I'm reminded how lucky I am to be with them, because they really do appreciate family time so much.  Not only this, I'm reminded how lucky I am to even know what a good family is like in the first place, thanks to my wonderful family back home in the US :) Today was exactly the kind of day that makes me remember why I wanted to come to Chile, can't wait for more just like it!