Yesterday I made a rather large Mexican themed lunch for Katia, Marcelo, Tomás, Regina, and their new exchange student from Germany, Miriam. I loved preparing the lunch for the family for several reasons really. First of all, I wanted some good Mexican food...Before coming to Chile I thought I was going to be eating Mexican food all the time. Boy was I wrong...and ignorant really. Just because Spanish is spoken in both Mexico and Chile does not mean that they have the same culture. Mexican traditions and food are far more evident in American culture. Yesterday I actually couldn't even find tortillas in the grocery store and decided to make mine from scratch. Secondly, I really love cooking. It's a hobby that I have more or less put on hold this year, but every once in a while I get to hit the kitchen and whip out a big meal and reaffirm that I am capable of feeding myself and in the process get to share a bit of my life with others. Last but not least, I want to give Katia a chance to relax a little. I have so much respect for her and all that she does to keep her family moving, it's really incredible. So, I figure if I have a little extra time on my hands and the desire to cook, I want work it in so that she gets a well deserved day off. I spent 12 hours over at there and didn't even realize it. It's because I feel a special bond to every single person in that house. In another life we must have been a part of the same family tree, that's the only explanation I can think of. Today I just put my very first batch of homemade Chilean bread in the oven...we shall see how it turns out. My host mom told me that if it turns out well, I'm going to be in charge of making the bread from now on, which actually sounds really fun. I've been wanting to make bread ever since my dad and I took a bread making class 2 years ago. I kneaded that dough for a good 20 minutes, so hopefully it will turn out well.