I don't normally get involved with the celebrations for Fiestas Patrias or the national holidays. Reason being, I feel nowadays there is little independence to refer to. I always wonder how the native people in our country feel during these celebrations. But let’s face it; it is a great opportunity to have a relaxing time. I used to go to barbeques with friends or house parties but I never enjoyed going to fondas in Santiago because I always found them over-crowded and over-priced. In fact the only fonda I ever really enjoyed was 10 or 12 years ago when I went to Algarrobo. I went with my darling husband, a British friend of his, Karen, and a very good Chilean friend of mine, Claudio. Connie, Claudio’s girlfriend at the time, was there too. Claudio's parents have a house in Algarrobo and we went to stay there for a couple of days. It was great being near the beach and getting some fresh sea air. Also, the weather was warm and sunny during the daytime and not too cold in the evenings. The fonda was on the main road leading into Algarrobo and we went twice on consecutive evenings. There were lots of people but the atmosphere was friendly. We did the typical things like play some games, eat empanadas and drink chicha. There was music and people dancing cueca. Later on we drank piscolas and danced (shuffled about!!) to cumbias. We all enjoy our national holiday for different reasons, I suppose. Write about a Fiestas Patrias celebration you remember: Say: When it was, What you did, Who you were with, Why you enjoyed it. Write a minimum of 180 words. Write a comment on your teacher's blog and 2 comments on your classmates' blogs.

Hi everyone:
Since today we are talking about personal things, I'd like to talk about a good friend of mine. I met Ivonne in around 2000 because she was a my sister's classmate at Uni and they were pretty close. Later, my sister left to live in the UK and didn't see Ivonne again until around 2005. I am not sure how we got in touch again but I am glad we did because I feel she is really nice company. I like talking to her about anything because most of the time she has wise words to tell me. Plus, she has a great sense of humor and is a very active woman.
I'd say we have things in common. We like music and arts in general, and we share our sense of humor & we love animals. We don't eat them ! I really enjoy our evening meetings to have a drink and play music. Ivonne plays the guitar magnificently and can pick like few people I have met. But she is very humble about her guitar playing and that is nice too.




She is a lawyer, but one of the smart ones who will always tell you about the details of the legal actions you take. Furthermore, most of the time she knows what is going on with the laws they will pass or if they already passed them and how they affect us. It is a pitty we only see each other 3 or 4 times a year.
Write about a good friend of yours:
Say:
Who it is,
How you met,
What things you have in common,
How often you see your friend.
Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on 4 classmates' blogs .

English help

Here are some examples so you use tenses correctly. Notice the previous post has a verb list and therefore, you can look at the verb and tense you want to use.
what I normally do:
Nosotros vamos a conciertos 1 vez al año/ Nunca leo sobre arte/ My mama trabaja en su casa.
We go to concerts one time a year / I never read about arts / My mom works at home

When I want to talk about a particular occasion.
En esa oportunidad yo fui al campo/ Nosotros estábamos cansados ese día/ Comió el pastel y se fue.
I went to the country on that occasion /We were tired that day/ She ate the cake and left.
About things that started in the past and continue to the present...
He estado bien cansada ultimamente/ No he comprado tantos dulces / He querido ir pero no he podido
I have been tired lately/ I have not (haven't) bought many sweets/ I have wanted to go but haven't been able to.

When I am talking about the past and I want to refer to something further in the past.

Ese día me di cuenta que lo había visto más temprano. / Hasta entonces no había tenido tiempo.
That day I realized I had seen him earlier./ I hadn't had time until then.

Conditionals
Si tengo tiempo, te llamare.
If I have time, I will call you.

Si tuvierda tiempo, te llamaría.
If I had time, I would call you.

Si hubiera tenido tiempo, te hubiera llamado
If I had had time, I would have called you.


I hope this helps :)