It´s Raining Men

God bless Mother Nature, she´s a single woman too. Just as soon as I have proclaimed my nun status, I am taking it back. I had such an amazing night last night, it reminded me that even though boys don’t play a big part in my life right now, I haven’t completely written them off forever. Like almost all of the best nights, last night was a last minute, crazy idea. It all started so innocently.


I had spent two weeks at site and had planned to spend this weekend just as I spend every night at site. Sitting in my room, alone. But on Thursday, another member of my Peru 9 family made the announcement that he was heading back to the states. He was in Lima so I called him up and made plans to come in and have dinner with him on Friday night. I hadn’t showered that day and considered an attempt to make myself appear put together, but I decided against it. It was just going in for a few hours to have dinner with a PCV who didn´t care what I looked like, so why bother? Dinner was nice. We ate at Chili’s and it was the first time I ate at an American establishment since I arrived in Peru. I had a buffalo chicken salad with blue cheese and a beer. It was good, real good. I figured this meal would be the highlight of my week, and I was ready to call it a night and head back to site before it got too late . Then right before I was getting ready to leave Lillian called me. We had been playing phone tag all day and considering her invitation, I wished we had talked earlier so I could have prepared a bit more for what was about to happen.


She said there was a Halloween party at the US Marines house and asked if I wanted to go. This was 9 o’clock at night, I had no costume and I looked like hell. But it was a Halloween party. I was feeling a little bumbed out that I was gonna miss one of my party times of the year. Me and Stephanie liked dressing up so much when we were in college, we would go out wearing lederhosen and 80’s prom dresses to parties that weren’t even costume parties. Considering my love for dressing up, not having a costume was hardly a reason not to go. With little hesitation, I accepted the last minute invitation.

So we went to the store and bought sheets of colored plastic. Lillian went as an egg, sunny side up and I made a sexy but not distasteful devil costume. We arrived at the party around 11. It was like a genuine college frat party, only I had to show my passport at the door. It was an amazing house in one of the richest areas of Lima, but still had the good ´ol boy feel to it. The downstairs area, where the party was held, had pool, ping pong and foosball tables, leather couches, a bar, a DJ and a pool outside. And because it was a Marine house, it was full of American guys. The moment I walked in, I stopped dead in my tracks and took in the view. All my nun-like virtues went out the door. These weren’t just any guys, this was a party full of perfect genetic male specimens. Normally when I think of Marines, not the most attractive image comes to my mind. But this was different.This was an embassy party. Most of the guys weren’t actually marines. They worked for the embassy in the security and protection department and their jobs are a bit more glamorous than the average Marine.

These men were tall, built and gorgeous and that doesn’t begin to do them justice. Of course this is coming from a girl who has been deprived of attractive men for 5 months, so my sense of their magnificence is probably a bit askew. But even taking into account the fact that I´m grading on a curve, these guys were nothing less than beautiful. I compare being at this party to having eaten nothing but rice and potatoes for a month, and then going to an all you can eat meat buffet. Every once in a while, a girl just has to treat herself.

The party itself was really fun. We got drinks, danced and played pool and ping pong. I was feeling totally in my element, like I was back home at a party where cultural norms and risks about women drinking didn’t apply. Half way through the night I decided it was time to branch out and meet people other than the girls I came with. I saw the ambassador talking to a few very good looking guys so I dropped in on the conversation. The ambassador introduced me to two of the gentlemen who had recently traveled with him on his trip to the cocoa fields in the Jungle. After 5 minuets, the ambassadors wife was brining the tallest and most attractive of the men she knew to meet me. What made it even better is that these guys were dressed like gladiators, chip and dale dancers and other festive attire. I did do anything besides talk to and shake the hands these fine young gentlemen, but it was just enough to purk me up from my manless funk.

I wish I had taken my camera with me. But seeing as I had no idea I was going to Halloween party with the Ambassador and a ton of good looking American men, I’m just thankful I have the mental pictures. Hopefully these immages will be enough to keep me smiling through another 5 months of manless drought.