Tuna tuna atún

These are some of my favorite words in Chilean spanish, probably because it took me so long to get them straight. So, I'll try to explain. Well, we all know that in English, "tuna" is a delicious fish, especially fresh, and also very conveniently preserved in a can for your eating pleasure indefinitely. In Spanish, this kind of tuna, the fish, is called atún; someone mixed up their syllables in translation! Another kind of tuna which I have tried here is what I think would be translated to "prickly pear fruit," the fruit which grows on a cactus. This fruit is similar to a kiwi, but with more significant seeds. And, beware, the skin can be deceivingly prickly, so it's best not to pick this fruit yourself straight from the cactus (even though it seems romantic to pick the fruit fresh from the source, I learned this from personal experience).

Well, the next kind of tuna is the kind that I will write more about. "Tuna" is a type of traditional musical group in Chile, and perhaps more of Latin America, with about five to ten members who play guitar- and drum-like instruments of all sizes and sing, as well as perform acrobatics with tambourines, dance, and tell jokes in between sets. I went to a tuna festival on May 2, called "Gala de Tunas," hosted by the "Tuna Feminina Azahares" of the Univerisdad de La Serena. (Azahar is an orange blossom.) I think that tuna groups are usually males, and two male tuna groups from the University of La Serena and one visiting group from Temuco played in the gala. Maybe you can see in the pictures, the girl tunas wear elegant dresses, and the men wear tights, knickers, capes and sashes. I'm not sure the entire history of tuna music, but if you ever get the chance to see a performance, you're sure to be well-entertained.