Feliz Nuevo Ano

Martha and I have been spending a lot of time together lately. It’s actually worked out great. I get to do something other than hanging around with my gringo friends and have someone to show me around so I don’t feel like such a tourist. Plus of course we have a great time together. So when New Years rolled around I was invited to spend the night partying in style with the family.

So off to La Ceja it was, a beautiful little pueblo about an hour outside of Medellin. As soon as we arrived at the Martha’s sister’s house I realized what kind of fiesta this was going to be. I don’t think there is such a thing as an intimate family gathering in Colombia, and there was no chance this was going to be mistaken for one.

Within my first 15 minutes at the casa Martha’s brothers had somehow managed to get 3 shots of Aguardiente into me. Aguardiente, as I was to learn, is famous for the rate at which it kills brain-cells. It’s a locally produced drink derived from sugar-cane and my oh my does it go down easy. It’s never a good sign when everyone insists you chase every sip of a drink with a gulp of water.

The music and food started immediately. Whenever a CD finished a roar would go through the gathering as if someone had commited a capital offense. The Colombians do love their music. For the next few hours more and more family kept joining the festivities. Aunts, cousins, brothers and sisters, everyone was invited.

The laughs and drinks seemed like they would never stop. The entire family worked hard to make me feel like I had some idea what was going on, and as the Aguardiente went down I’m convinced my Spanish got better and better. I even got a chance to teach the family the traditional gringo New Year´s Eve greeting.

Pretty soon the party spilled out into the street. Seems like this is a standard part of every Colombian get together. First the speakers went outside. Then we emptied a bag of charcoal, built a fire and started cooking. Everyone seems to get a kick out of making the gringo pitch in and lend a hand. So of course I had to oblige.

The Aguardiente kept flowing. I lost count after the 6th liter. “Mas guaro!” became the theme of the night. The party went on and on. The food and drink last until the wee hours, and of course so did the dancing. Funny thing about that Aguardiente, not only did it help my Spanish but by the end of the night I was almost convinced I could dance.

What more can I say. I spent the night sleeping next to Martha’s brother in the front seat of his jeep. And amazingly enough, even with the snores resonating in the car, it was one of the best nights of sleep I’ve ever had. Everyone else found a bed, chair or space on the floor to crash. The next day was painful, but a pleasant reminder of the good times we had just shared. Life could definitely suck more.