I arrived in Uruguay three years ago today. I had never been to South America before, spoke very little Spanish, and felt lost. After three years, I speak Spanish and feel quite at home, although I would not recognise my immediate next-door neighbours if I saw them. This evening, I drove out of my house and passed dozens of children dressed up as witches and ghosts, tricking and treating around the neighbourhood. But I was on my way to a very different celebration.

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Some of you may have read my article 'La Pascua: how the other half live', about an after-school support project where I go and give a hand. Well, they decided not to celebrate Hallowe'en, as it's an imported, commercial feast, but to have a local 'fiesta criolla', and they invited me.

You can see the photos on http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27738&l=9ff60&id=664241054

There was a great atmosphere, with every age there from babies to great-grannies, a big bonfire outside with local 'candombe' music, and the project's own drum group gave a show. Inside there was a sort of disco, playing 'cumbia villera' (or something similar) music, a sort of mix between reggae, rap and Argentine milongos.

The food was quite revolting: 'empanadas' (sort of pasties but made with really fatty meat), 'tortas fritas' (a kind of chapatti made with pure lamb fat) and 'buseco' (I think), a sort of stew with the real cast off bits of meat. Not my sort of cuisine, but as you can see in the photos, I tried it all!

This is how the other 95% party, and once again, I felt privileged to be a part of the Uruguayan society that few expats know exists, and even fewer get to experience.

Now off I go to shower - the smoke has clung to my every cell!