Okay readers, here´s your word for the day.
Internship = la práctica

So it´s the tail end of my third week at El Mercurio de Valparaíso. There´s like six people in the newsroom... two reporters, two editors and two graphics people. I reckon everyone else is out doing something slightly more important. I was sick yesterday with a little stomach bug so there really isn´t much for me to do today except for wait for a response from the V Región Greenpeace rep in Santiago about my article on the environment/economic growth.

So I´m watching a morning talk show, and if you combine the Today Show with sporadic interventions of table dancing and telenovela clips, you get this. Whatever it is. I think it´s called "Buenos días a todos" or something.

The real reason I wanted to write a work blog today is to brag about what´s going down at El Mercurio this afternoon. So, pretty much, there´s a work party today. But last time I checked, most lunch hour sponsored office parties in the U.S. don´t include hard liquor with the entrance fee (dos mil, or US $4). Yep, that´s right. All four floors of this building are throwing a unified carrete in the lunchroom, which brings us to words 2 and 3 for the day:

carrete = party
carretear = to party

Come circulation desk, come receptionists, come La Estrella y El Mercurio, come digital radio 91.7, come lunch staff, come general manager... and Donner and Blitzen. 1002 Esmerelda THROWDOWN.

At least Saturday´s papers and the afternoon radio shows should be interesting. Chileans do love their parties.

Which leads me to a word on Chilean nightlife, because I would like to note that closing time for bars in Pullman, WA, is the hour that nightlife BEGINS. My friend Francisco said that a night isn´t a night unless you go out to party and get breakfast afterward, which must be the case since the typical Friday/Saturday here starts at 2am and can last until 8.

And I thought WSU students could party. Chileans put gringo college students to shame.

I´ve only managed to pull the all-nighter once (I napped for three hours before, left for the dance at midnight, and came back at 6:30 am ... and the club was still packed when we left), but my body pretty much hated me after that and I was a zombie the next day.

I think it´s just amazing how much a part of the culture it is here. Everyone everywhere goes out all the time. They dance until a ridiculous hour and then go to work the next day like it isn´t a big deal. Even the 40, 50, 60-year-old reporters at work participate at their respected hangouts. I mean, I guess there´s people in the states that do this but I always thought they were half-nuts. I just wonder how these people can carretear four nights of the week without completely burning out. I think I´ll maintain my grandma-esque lifestyle.