October and November in Photos/Actividades del octubre y noviembre con Fotos

For Becca, October was a busy month of events, parties, and plenty of pictures. The month started with her host dad’s birthday on October 4 where the entire extended family filled up her house with food, beer, dancing and laughter. 

Para Becca, octubre estaba un mes llena con eventos, fiestas, y artos fotos. El mes empezó con el cumpleaños de su papá anfitriona el 4 de octubre en donde toda la familia visitaba su casa para tomar la comida rica (y la chela rica...), bailar, y reír.

Late in the evening, after the food had been devoured, Becca and her host sister, Mireli attacked the cake, giving it 48 trick candles.

En la noche, después de comieron la comida, Becca y su hermana, Mireli atacaron la torta, poniéndose 48 bellas que no se puede apagar. 

A few days later, Becca was invited to a cultural event in Chepito to celebrate the mochik culture of the district of Morrope. Students in both the primary and secondary schools participated with presentations of the mochik language,

Días después Becca estaba invitada a un evento cultural para celebrar la cultura mochik en Chepito. Los alumnos de la primaria y la secundaria participaron con presentaciones de la lengua mochik,

Dances,

bailas

Artisan Skills,

artesiana

And of course, food,

Y por supuesto, la comida.

At the end of the week, the Health Post had their yearly anniversary celebration where Becca played soccer on the all women’s health promotion team and watched the men of the health center play against the teachers and PTA dads of the secondary school.

Al fin de semana, por el aniversario del centro de salud Cruz del Medano, Becca jugaba futból en un equipo de promotoras de salud y miraba los hombres del centro jugaban con los hombres del colegio y padres de la familia. 

She also played with the kids: they played tag and airplane and then settled into some lovely photography.

También ella jugaba con los niños: corrieron, jugaban, y tomaban fotos bonitos con su camera.

A couple of weeks later, Becca’s host uncle celebrated his 50th birthday with the entire extended family who came in from all over Lambayeque and even parts of Piura and Lima. Becca’s brother spent the evening taking beautiful photos:

Hace dos semanas, celebró su tío el cumple de 50 años y toda la familia llegó de todo Lambayeque, Piura, y Lima. El hermano de Becca tomaba fotos lindos:

...while Becca danced:

...mientras Becca bailaba mucho. 

After squeezing in one procession for Señor de Milagros (who gets celebrated throughout the month of October with processions and prayer):

Además Becca participó en una procesión de señor de milagros y una fiesta de Halloween. 

...and a Halloween party, Becca thought maybe it was time for a nap but decided against it in favor of a trip to the cemetery with her family for All Saint’s Day to visit her grandparents who died 6 and 11 years ago.

Después de todo eso, Becca pensaba que necesitaba dormir, pero se fue al cementaría para el día de todos los santos a visitar sus abuelos anfitriones muertos. 

Becca returned the following day to see the cemetery in the light of day and bring her grandparents flowers.

Becca regresaba el día después para ver el cementaría en el sol y llevar flores.

As for the rest of November, Becca was happily quite busy having planned nearly 30 replicas (educational sessions taught by groups of trained health promoters) for the month. She watched with pride as her students became amazing teachers.

Para todo el mes de noviembre, Becca estaba ocupada con casi 30 replicas (sesiones educativas enseñadas de los promotores educadores pares) por el mes. Ella miró muy orgullosa mientras sus alumnos transformaron a profesores.

A Bit About Peru: Parties

In an email to a friend in the states, Becca realized she needed to explain a couple of things about her life in Peru and so began a series of informative pieces about Becca’s life in Peru.

She wrote:

A Bit About Peru: Parties

From what I gather, there are two primary types of parties, the first being a formal engagement to celebrate a community-wide event or holiday, and the second to celebrate a more personal event like a birthday, funeral, or marriage.

The Stages of a Typical Formal Party in Cruz del Medano:

1.  Everyone gathers in the party area but nothing really happens until 30-60 minutes after the official start time. Note that gathering means there is a decorated tent with chairs arranged in a U-shape in the front for the "VIPs" such as the mayor, heads of various offices, police, teachers, and other authorities. Everyone else gathers in a crowd facing the VIP section.

2.   When the party starts there is an announcer on a huge sound system (we're talking 30-40 speakers) who announces the event, the purpose, all of the VIPs and profusely thanks God and all the saints for everything under the sun. Often there's a short prayer.

3.   Singing of the National anthem.

4.   At a minimum 5 people make long speeches thanking God and all the saints.

5.   The speaker makes another long speech thanking God and all the saints as drinks are passed out and there's a toast

6.   Food is served first to the VIPs and then to everyone else. Everyone who receives food is expected to dig in but it is acceptable to bring a bag and take your food home with you.

7.   Beer bottles are handed out and drinking circles* begin. Then comes the other alcohol drinks; chicha (fermented corn drink) and sometimes pisco, whiskey, and jonki (grain alcohol). Everyone drinks. [At this point and after, it's acceptable to duck out and go home]

8.   Dancing and a general good time

Note that the whole process if you stay for 1-2 dances takes about 2-3 hours but can last for days.

A typical non-formal party will include many similar aspects but in a less formal manner (shocker):

The Stages of a Typical Non-Formal Party in Cruz del Medano:

1.  Everyone gathers in the party area (a large, decorated tent set up in the street in front of the house) and things slowly get started. Rather than a VIP section, there is usually a table for the person being celebrated and their family near a large table for decorations and the cakes that people take photos in front of.

2.  Sometimes there is an announcer or entertainer and sometimes there isn’t, either way there is a sound system equal in sheer force to that of a formal party.

3.  The music starts early but people usually don’t start dancing for quite a while, leaving a lot of time to sit around the outside of the tent and stare at each other.

4.  Food is served first to the family and close friends and then to everyone else. Everyone who receives food is expected to dig in but it is acceptable to bring a bag and take your food home with you.

5.  Beer bottles are handed out and drinking circles* begin. Sometimes there is also chicha, whiskey, or jonki. Everyone drinks.

6.   At a minimum the guest of honor and their family will make speeches thanking God and all the saints. At some parties there are speeches long into the night, at others there are very few.

7.   Dancing and a general good time

* Drinking Circle: A large bottle of beer is passed around a circle of typically 5-6 men, though women are sometimes included. There is one glass. The process is you pour yourself a glass, offer the bottle to the next person who accepts and holds it while you drink (chug) your glass which you then shake out and hand off to the bottle holder, they repeat the action. From what I can tell, drinking circles go on forever, I think there is a drinking circle from 1968 still happening on my street.

***This is clearly only the perspective of one volunteer in one area of Peru, Becca doesn’t claim to know everything, or even anything really...