sweedish dave and the discoteca

last night was the first real night on the town. the town being santiago if you haven't been paying el attention. after some rather inauspicious beginnings, i would have to say it was just what everyone needed.

two worldTeachers (out of 20) had birthdays this weekend (10% for you number wizards), so there was an admin-sponsored fiesta at this bar two blocks away called "catedral." it was pretty opulent for us voluntarios - the rooftop terrace we were illing on was totally stunning - but of course we were just killing time until it discotime (approximately 12-1AM is the time to begin dancing in chile, the parties dont stop until around 5AM). chileans love their terraces, but not nearly as much as they love their late nights. for example, most bars won't charge a cover until 12:30, 1AM because that's when they start to get relatively busy. for real. better still, outside our hostel window we can usually hear the party people stumbling home until about 6 in the morning on weekends. for serious.

so sweedish dave (pictured above), is what is best and worst about the hostel experience. he is undeniably hilarious and often has a story to tell, but he is also clearly suffering from some serious drug abuse issues and unmitigated alcoholism. he will often intrude on private meetings and make the femmes uncomfortable with his sweedish cum surfer megamanness. and while he is fun to have around sometimes, he also tries to climb on top of cabs while they are hauling through santiago thoroughfares at high speeds. in a nutshell, the omnipresent sweedish dave is one of a possible many reasons why living in a hostel for more than a week can become trying at times. that being said - check out that hair.

chilean discoteca experience the first: positive. much like any grimy club, floors at "massivo" were sticky, alcohol was slightly overpriced (for chile), and the music was deafening. the music (which we were told would usually be a mix of 80's pop and reggaeton) was decent, but the lack of 80's jams was actually a disappointment. plus, they played rihanna's ' don't stop the music' twice. weak DJing. other than that, we all danced away our woes and slept like we earned it. which, i truly believe, we did.