Frenching old men

I keep almost kissing old men. And women and children, for that matter. Here, when you greet someone, you do the kiss on the cheek thing, but as opposed to the kiss on either cheek the Quebecois do, here they just do one cheek. But going in for the second bec is a hard habit to break. Several times I've almost smashed my face into the person I'm greeting. I'll have to work on that one.

Another Chilean custom I'd forgotten about is their eating schedule. Breakfast is pretty normal, but then they eat their main meal of the day at lunchtime, which happens anytime between 2pm and 5pm. Supper ranges from non-existent to a light snack late in the evening. Throw an evening get-together with a couple of friends and a bottle of wine into that mix, though and you end up with a drunk and hungry Norteamericana whose stomach in wondering why it's midnight and she hasn't had supper.

And it's cold here! Well, it's not actually cold by Canadian standards; it's springtime, so evenings and mornings can go down to maybe 7 or 10C and then when the sun comes out it'll go up to maybe 20C. But the thing is, houses here aren't insulated, there's no heating, and the windows don't close tight. So inside is more or less the same temperature as outside. So everyone's walking around in wool sweaters and fleece and shoes or slippers. And half the time when visitors come over they keep their jackets on (their winter parkas!). The good thing is is that the beds are piled high with huge feather duvets and blankets. I guess the only way to warm up is to have another glass of wine...