Weekend with Gonzolo and Family

I managed to find a professor at UTEQ who I originally meet in 2008. He is not an English teacher but teaches in another department. I also saw him in 2010 when I was here. At that time, he took me to his son Gonzolo's kindergarten graduation and then out to lunch, where I met his wife and other two children, Leo and Diego. So when I found him in his office during the week, he asked me if I had plans for the weekend. I told him " not yet" so then he asked me about going to a family gathering with him on Saturday. I agreed, so on Saturday afternoon, he picked me up at the hotel.

First, he drove to his house to get his wife and children. He lives in a nice neighborhood and has a modest house that was recently remodeled. His wife Lucy works too so they are quite busy. The children go to a bilingual school which teaches English, so his children could speak to me in English. Now, the children's ages are 8, 6, and 3. It was while I was at the house that I learned that we were all going to a family reunion.






It was a short drive to the reunion. This is a reunion the family has every year with Gonzolo's fraternal side of the family. We were one of the first family's to arrive but soon the rented hall was almost full. Maybe about 200 people. I was introduced to many people, like Gonzolo's parents, sisters and and uncles. All were very nice. All brought food, so it was like a potluck. I especially like the shrimp cocktail and spicy marinated pork. I did worry that the food might make me sick but that never happened. My other concern was the alcohol. I tried to drink very little but all kinds of drinks offered, especially tequila. I didn't want to be sick and hungover. haha! Later they sang songs-Karaoke-some amazing singers. Everyone seemed to get along and it was quite enjoyable..



The next day, the family took me to Pena de Bernal. This is the third largest monolith in the world. It was about one hour drive to Bernal. The town is small but full of little shops and easy to walk around. It was good to get some exercise and the weather was great, as usual. The hike up the mountain is quite a challenge and I only made it about halfway up. The path is not that steep but the surface is very uneven and some places it is like mountain climbing almost. Lots of people were climbing that day with us too. It was a good experience and I thought my legs might be sore the next day, but I felt fine.



Some volunteers have been sick in our group but so far I have avoided the malady, thank heavens. University students have been great, with a wide range of speaking ability. The teachers we are working with at the university are very happy to have us in there rooms too, so it has been a great experience. I would gladly recommend this city for vacation and travel. It is safe and very friendly..
In a few days, I will be home again. I hope the sun will be shinning in Portland. :)