Holiday!

Okay, so it's time to revisit that holiday thing I mentioned before. Today is "un día feriado," meaning a holiday. There are no classes or work for most people today, which is basically the Uruguayan Independence Day. But, it's actually a false independence day. It is the anniversary of Uruguay's independence from Brazil, at which point it became part of Argentina...it wasn't until a few years later that the country became fully independent. So, for Uruguayans, today is a day to sleep in, visit with family and friends, and relax. In my opinion, the most interesting part of this holiday is actually its "eve". The night before August 25th has been dubbed the "Noche de Nostalgia," or Night of Nostalgia. On this night, Uruguayans go out dancing to oldies. Yes, like ABBA and Michael Jackson and the Beatles. Also some Latin oldies, but for the most part, American and British. I'm not really sure why this has become such a phenomenon, but almost all Uruguayans go out on the Noche de Nostalgia (it is the biggest night to go out along with Christmas Eve- which you'll hear about later). I went to a huge outdoor party next to the Velodromo (cycling stadium) last night. It consisted of a bunch of tents, each with a different style or era of music. Totally crazy but tons of fun. I was there from about 1:30 to 7:00 am, after the "previa" with friends (previa = pre-game/pre-drink), where I got myself 80's-ed up to go out and learned a new drinking game! (I'll teach you guys when I get back. It's super easy.)