One of the fundamental millennial female rituals in the United States is brunching. Restaurants open their garage-door windows on beautiful sunny Sunday afternoons, set their menus with chicken and waffles and eggs Benedict, pre-order extra bottles of champagne and vodka and wait for the hip twenty and thirty something ladies to fly in by the masses for some afternoon brunch.  Back in the states, I tutored every Sunday. My roommates would adorn themselves with hipster felt hats and large sunglasses, smelling like the evening we were all recovering from and roll into Marche or The Sky Blue Cafe ready for delicious eats. Meanwhile, I was in my car heading towards Franklin and my ACT tutoring gig or sitting on the porch grading endless amounts of papers.

Moving to Uruguay was a new chapter for me to get a little bit of my personal life back. I was excited for the smaller class sizes because it meant my weekends would be filled with brunch opportunities over paper grading. Joke was on me because Uruguayans do not brunch – well they do, but with their families and friends. There are very few restaurants open on Sunday, let alone with brunch menus. I feared my brunching days were missed opportunities.

So my darling friend Katie graciously opened her home to “The Gang” (Always Sunny Reference) for a Sunday fun-day of brunching. Katie has the cutest apartment. Light pours in from these massive living room windows and a killer patio  overlooks Av. Brazil. As our friend Pedro said, her place has a great energy! And it is so completely her!

Katie making breakfast burritos

The champagne was flowing, the food was plenty. Katie made breakfast burritos that were delicious and the rest of us brought something to add to the table. We had homemade bagels, Italian frittata, banana bread, muffins, artichoke dip, brownies, and Bloody Marys. Friendship and laughter rang throughout the apartment. Sunday was gorgeous, so the ladies put on their sunglasses and headed outdoors to the patio. We giggled and gossiped. It made me realize how much I had missed every time I had passed up brunch for money-making. I think that is the most important lesson I am learning here.  Practicality is important, but indulgence is necessary every once-in-a-while. Indulgence makes for a happier and healthier life.

As the afternoon merged into evening, we took the party inside. champagne was still flowing, but now it was game time. We played Heads Up and this game that was a mix between catch phrase, password, and charades. Competition was fierce, but it was all in good fun. There were some surprising people who dominated the game (Ahhmmm, Alex). I love opportunities where people get to shine. My team took the first game (ding. ding. Applause please.) Then our Uruguayan friends thought it only fair we tried Heads up in Spanish. There were a lot of uh uh uh uh uh from my side. Regardless, it is a great way to learn some new vocabulary. I know all about zoo animals now. It also made me appreciate my local friends that much more. They amaze me every time they are able to switch back and forth between Spanish and English. By the time we looked at the clock, we realized it was pretty late. That’s another old-life habit I am slowly getting rid of – my constant reliance on a watch. Walking home, I was completely and incandescently happy. The copious amounts of champagne didn’t hurt. Nevertheless, I had just had a day of sunshine, smiles, good food, fun games, and loving friends.

So cheers to Katie! It was a brunching success!