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...

La Navidad: Not a Popular Holiday Amongst Pigs

            When Becca told people in the states before her departure about her impending adventure, the topic of the holidays always seemed to come up. The holidays are going to be really hard. When she met people in Cruz del Medano and the surrounding area, the topic came up again. You’re here for two years, but are you spending Christmas here? What about your family?

            For as long as she could remember, Christmas had been Becca’s favorite holiday. Surrendering to her least favorites like Thanksgiving and even to the more beloved like Fourth of July and President’s Day, even to her own birthday, Christmas was in short, the bomb. When she was a little kid, she adored the candle-light singing at church on Christmas eve, spending time with her family, opening presents, and sitting around all day on Christmas doing a whole lot of nothing. In high school, every day from December first to the end of school, she wrote out cheerful notes to her closest friends and included little treats and presents. In college, she braved the icy mountain passes year after year to make it home for singing, present, and more than anything else, her family. But this year, Christmas was very different.

            Noche Buena (Christmas Eve), which was always the more celebrated of the two days in her family, started decently. She woke up feeling well for the first time in a week, at least well enough to shower. Of course then she got stung by a bee. Luckily after that came breakfast with her  host family and helping to make the final Paneton.* As the afternoon wore in she became increasingly less sure of the day’s plan and purpose and got different answers from everyone. But evening she returned to her home to find her family milling in and out of the kitchen to the front of the house. Making a crucial error in stopping where some of them had crowded by the oven, she found the chanchito* she thought was missing from the back yard, though she didn’t at first recognize it without fur or skin...

            The evening brought a lot of...well, waiting around and confusion. Around eight they had a small dinner, around nine Becca’s sister, Sandra, and her dad fell asleep, around ten, she found herself in the living room watching the news while her family either slept or ran around with cousin. At eleven, her sister Mireli and her cousins brought her to a misa (mass) in the church by the park. The service was a little confusing but she was happy to spend time with her family and see a lot of her friends from the community.

            After the mass they walked home and found a house of sleeping family members, which they promptly woke up because it was officially midnight and la navidad! Confusion struck again as Mireli grabbed three baby figurines and led Becca into the front room to be the Madrina. She quickly learned that this meant placing each baby on each level of the nativity scene. Her father prayed afterward, dedicating the moment to their newest family member and they all clapped.

            Fifteen minutes later they had moved the table outside near the giant Christmas tree, filled it with food, and taken their places around it. The ate, the talked, they slept sitting upright at the table, Becca had her first taste of jonki* and then the kids (Becca included) went inside to take a few pictures. By three AM, Becca was relieved to hear Mireli say that she was going to bed and so was their mom, Becca took herself off to slumber as well.        

            Sitting in her bed the next morning at six, listening to the silent house around her, she couldn’t help but feel like something was entirely off. Usually by six, she was feeling guilty about being in bed while her mom cooked downstairs and her dad started making the bread. This guilt typically roused her by 6:30 (7 on a rough morning) but on Christmas Day, everyone slept until 9. They had a breakfast that included her mom downing another shot of jonki, which she lovingly rose in toast to Becca.

            The rest of the day was quiet, so quiet that Becca had to ask more than once what they were going to do today. Each time the reply was the same: it’s Christmas. In the afternoon she watched 17 Again with her sisters and sitemate, overjoyed that they found it funny and commented on just how guapo they think Zac Efron is. Evening brought dinner and a visit to a friend’s house and by 10 Becca found herself climbing the stairs up to bed once more, her first Peruvian Navidad behind her.

*See: Peruvian fruit cake, except everyone loves it...

*Baby pig

*Possibly some form of grain alcohol

Promocion

It all started with an unlikely invitation. Becca and her site-mate, Lily dropped in to visit Gustavo, the computer and records specialist at the health post and ask him a bunch of questions and he invited them to the Promocion de Inicial*. Having been taught to say yes to everything and overrun with curiosity, they gladly accepted. Gustavo told them there would be dancing and a lot of food, though he told them he was a Padrino (godfather) he made his part seem small. It wasn’t until much later that they realized what a big deal being the Padrino of a promocion really is, but we’ll get to that.

Becca woke up, took a bucket bath*, ate breakfast, and threw on a clean skirt and shirt. She studied the invitation and came to the conclusion that it must be in the colegio closest to her house. Just before nine she set out and minutes later when she arrived at the colegio she found workers still putting up the tents and and sound system. She pulled out her cell phone and called Lily.

“Hey,”

“Hey, I’m at the colegio, the one by the park and they’re still setting up,”

“Yeah, my sister is in this thing and she’s not even dressed yet, we just finished breakfast,”

“Of course,” Becca replied remembered just how real Peruvian Time was proving to be. “Is it ok if I just hang out at your house for a while?”

“Sure, see you in a bit.”

Becca made her way to Lily’s house, buenos diasing and holaing everyone along the way. The waited around for a half hour and then, thinking perhaps it was starting now, they made there way back to the colegio where set-up was still underway. This time, however, Gustavo was present and gladly greeted them, introducing them to the teacher of one of the graduating classes.

“Aw, mucho gusto, gracias por venir...para las preparaciones...una hora mas, solo una hora,” she told them with a sweet smile and then excised herself and went back into the madness. Gustavo followed. (Aw, nice to meet you, thank you for coming...for the preparations...an hour more.)

Lily and Becca looked at each other and shrugged. They returned to Lily’s house and killed more time. But when they returned in an hour, it was a similar story. This time the music was playing (at an insane intensity) and everything seemed to be ready but the kids were not all present and so they wandered to Becca’s house and killed even more time. By noon, three hours after the original starting time, the girls had returned and were met by the teacher who seated them at the head of the room.

In the center of the room was a long, narrow, green and white tent lined by fancy chairs where the children sat. The outer perimeter was lined with tables and chairs for the families and other invitees. And at the head of the tent were three beautiful tables donning green and white tablecloths. At these tables sat Lily, Becca, Gustavo, who was now decked out in a black suit, and some others. Gustavo explained that he was the Padrino which basically meant that he donated the funds for this shin-dig and they quickly realized that they were his invited guests, hence their place at the fancy tables.

A voice came over the loud speaker announcing that they were ready to begin. They all rose to sing the national anthem of Peru and then the graduation ceremony began. Each child, dressed in either a lovely green party dress or a suit with a green shirt, was introduced as they walked down one outside edge of the tent, their pareja shadowed them on the other side of the tent. Each child had a pareja, a sort of date for the event, typically a cousin or neighbor. Each pair walked the outside, came together and walked up the middle together, waving until they reached the head tables and grinned.

After all of the introductions were completed, Gustavo gave a toast about the importance of parents and teachers in the lives of children and they all drank to the success of the children (the adults champagne and the kids Inca Cola). Afterwards lunch was served: this was when the real fun began. Lunch was a corse of rice and a leg of something that was too tough to really tear apart or chew for that matter. By this time Becca, Lily, and Gustavo had been joined at the nutritionist from the post, Liwi, her friend, the Madrina, and the directora of the primary, Marleni. 

They all watched and giggled as the girls tried to eat their meat, Becca spilled her rice, got sauce all over her face, and generally struggled until Marleni looked at her and said something that sounded like a quick coaching in Spanish. Becca, in sheer panic didn’t get it.

“Damelo,” Marleni said and held out a hand, that one was clear. (Give it to me). Becca was unsure what exactly that was supposed to mean though; the meat? Like, hand it to her? Marleni then reached over her and grabbed the meat from her plate. In one swift motion she tore it in half and handed it back to Becca. Everyone around the table laughed except for Lily who hadn’t let given up on fighting her own battle with lunch.

“Dude, the director of the secondary just tore my meat for me,” Becca said to Lily, who chuckled at the thought.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with more food, drinks (which the girls refused more than just a sip of), photos and dancing. When she got home, Becca sat down on the couch and wasn’t sure if she wanted to sleep or run around the block.

*Literally translated to Promotion of the Initial - “Incial” is sort of like preschool and kindergarten; kids from ages 3-5 attend for early education. 

*Though it’s fairly self explanatory, it’s when you take a bucket of warm water (warm thanks to your loving host mother’s insistence that she heat it up because she’s afraid cold water might kill her little gringa) into the little brick room with a makeshift drain and splash around until you’re clean.

Wonderdogs and Fiestas - A Peruvian Adventure

There was something terrifying and exhilarating about wandering in a strange land. Of course the terror was substantially lowered as the number of people in the group grew. 

It was a Saturday night in Peru, the first Becca had truly experienced (discounting her first because she was in a retreat center, going to sleep early). Having received invitation to not one, but two parties, Becca was feeling pretty good, but over the course of the night she learned three very important things about her new homeland.

1. The dogs are not your friends (but there are some exceptions - like Becca’s three dogs: Napoleon, Dunca, and Carmelo, but they were really more like hijos than perros)
2. Peruvian dancing is sometimes just walking in a circle with rhythm and but mostly they’re complicated steps that look much easier than they actually are.
3. Most cobrador(a)s* are helpful but when they aren’t the passengers are extra helpful

As Becca and her friends walked to the first party, the birthday of her friend, Lily’s host brother, they noticed the vast number of dogs in Huascaran. In the late afternoon sun, they seemed to be fairly relaxed. By the time they reached the party, were handed a cerveza and started dancing, the dogs were far from their minds. 

Dancing consisted of moving along with the music in small movements usually with interesting footwork. It wasn’t long before Becca found herself dancing the night away to songs in both English and in Spanish. Lily’s host brother, Marcus, loved drinking, dancing, smoking, and laughing which made for a more than interesting time. He showed them an interesting dance where the group really just slowly walks in a circle with some amount of rhythm. He also showed a great affinity for fist pumping.

After a lot of dancing, a little drinking, and a wonderful dinner compliments of Lily’s host mom, the girls decided to go to another fiesta this one in Tres de Octubre. They ventured out together and chatted in the cool night air as they walked. But after a few minutes of walking, they began to notice a trail of street dogs behind them, none of them looking all too friendly. When the first dog barked, a fierce German Shepard, the others began and it wasn’t long before the girls found themselves huddled together watching as the number of growling angry dogs increased. 

Just as Becca was certain they’d end up as street dog dinner, another dog appeared, this one fluffy, white and almost gleeful. He instantly began barking as well but not at the girls. In seconds he had chased the approaching dogs away from the girls and carved a safe path for them. Somewhat relieved, the girl continued forward and the white dog led them, cheerfully jumping in front of them. As they passed each house, the angry dogs around the property began to bark and growl, but each time this happened, the white dog would approach the property and chase the dogs back, keeping the road safe for the girls.

When they reached the main road, the angry dogs were no longer following them and the silence from barking seemed deafening. The white dog looked at them for a moment and then took off down the road to the right before they could even say thank you.

“I want that dog as my personal, full-time body guard,” Lily said and they all nodded in bewildered agreement. 

The rest of their trek to Tres de Octubre was uneventful; a combi ride and a somewhat confusing walk led them to the center where there was loud music, dancing, and the majority of their Cuerpo de Paz group. 

The girls mingled with their friends for a while and watched some of the dancing, but most of their fellow party-goers seemed to be either tired or drunk. While the Peruvians looked calm and collected as they danced, when Becca watched their feet, she noticed that their footwork and rhythm was amazing. They made it look so easy but when Becca tried to copy the dances, her feet simply didn’t speak the language. 

Around eleven, they all began to feel the effects of a long week and headed toward home. They found the main road easily enough and even managed to find enough soles for everyone to ride home on the combi. When they got on the combi, one of the girls told the cobradora that they needed to get off at the main park in Chaclacayo, but as they passed building after building and stop after stop, they became fairly certain she had failed to help them reach their destination. About ten minutes west of Chaclacayo, one of the girls asked the cobradora about it and after some confusion one of the other passengers helped them off the combi and directed them to the stop across the street so they could turn around and get back to Chaclacayo. 

This time, when the girls entered the comb, they made it very clear that they needed to get off at the park in Chaclacayo, no further. The cobrador was very helpful and when the girls nearly got off at the wrong stop (more out of anxiety than understanding), the other passengers and the cobrador stopped them from getting off, making sure they made it safely to their stop.

After a very long day, Becca plopped down on her bed and slept like the dead, dreaming of wonderdogs and fiestas.

*A cobrador/cobradora is the person who stands at the door of the combi (small bus) and opens the door, rushes people on and off, takes fare money and sometimes calls the stops. Combis do not necessarily have regular stops and routes...