Feliz Ano Nuevo!

I am so ready for 2008. Normally, it’s always sad for a year to end and scary how quickly the time has passed. But this year, I am happy to be moving on from 2007. Not that ‘07 was particularly bad, I just feel like 2008 is the year I am going to really come into my own and thrive here in Peru. I am happy to be stepping away from the beginning stages of Peace Corps life and entering one of the most unforgettable times of my life.

The first five months of 2007 were some of the easiest of my adult life. I lived with my parents and had little financial responsibility. I worked at the cheesecake factory which paid well but also allowed me a lot of freedom and flexibility so I was able to travel and gave me a lot of free time to spend my remaining months in the country with family and friends. While this time was relatively care free and fun, I felt I was in a sort of Limbo. I was waiting for my peace corps assignment with out any sort of certainty as to where or when I would be leaving, and then once my assingment came at the end of March, I was living for the count down. It was also not a particularly gratifying time in my life. The time I was able to spend with my family is invaluable, but I felt like I was wasting my time by not doing anything to better myself or the people around me. Somehow, serving overweight people a 1200 calorie slice of cheesecake, did not make me feel like I was benefiting society. When June came, I was ready to embark on something a bit more meaningful.

The second half of 2007 is what I had been working up to for years. The first three months were a walk in a park. I loved training, it was more like summer camp than work. I was with an amazing group of people who made me laugh more than I have ever laughed in my life, but at the same time I was gaining the skills I would need to get through the next 2 years out on my own. By the end of training the Peru 9ers as well as the Peace Corps staff had become like family. A family I would greatly rely on over the first months to help me get through the daily difficulties. This was the time that patience and frustrations became a way of life, sickness and safety became a daily threat but personal growth and making a difference in the world are the life long benefits. 2008 just feels right. The sun has finally come out in Lima, and akin to this, it is my time to shine.

It was all yellow (and rainbow chips)

The tranquility and uneasiness of Christmas was made up by my rockin’ new Years Eve! I once again did make any plans. I was even contemplating just spending staying up till midnight with my family and then going strait to bed. But a fellow 9er suggested that that would probably make me feel very sad, alone and I should celebrate some how. It also happened to be the birthday of the girl I replaced and one of my non peace corps volunteer friends. I didn’t feel mentally in a party mode and I definitely was still feeling off physically from being sick all of Christmas week. But I excepted the invitation to ring in the new year at a 3rd year volunteers house in Lima with other 3rd year volunteers and sick boy. I brought along my non peace corps friend as it was her birthday and most of her friends were away for the Holidays.

--a quick side note observation, 3 of the third year volunteers brought along their Peruvian significant other and I’m concluding the number one reason volunteers take a third year is because they are dating a host country national.--

Before the dinner I went to Candice’s (non PC friend) house cause she has an oven and I wanted to make cupcakes to celebrate the new years and the birthdays. My mom had sent me rainbow chip cup cake mix, rainbow chip frosting and even cupcake tins for my birthday a few months ago. I had been waiting for months for the perfect occasion to make them (plus I don’t have an oven). Rainbow chips cupcakes are my favorite in the whole wide world and you cannot find them anywhere here. I only brought half of them to the party so I could hoard the rest to myself, but they were a huge hit. The dinner itself was really nice with about 12 people, but still low key.

One thing I love about Peruvian New years is that the lucky color is yellow, so everything body where’s yellow and all the party themes are yellow. My favorite color is yellow and it’s such a happy, wonderful color. It’s definitely a tradition I will bring back to the states. So every one was wearing some sort of yellow and at mid night we lit off fireworks (the good kind of sparklers, the ones that are illegal in California) and had a champagne toast.

After that the group headed toward the bars and the discos but Candice and I decided to check out a house party with some Peruvian friends. Going to this party was the best decision we could have made. It was such a fun and new experience that notonly made my New Years Eve, but really my whole holiday season. It was at a big mansion/estate no too far from where our dinner was. There was a big tent set up in the back yard with tables and a dance floor, a lot like a wedding party. There were catorers dressed in tuxedos walking around with trays of champagne and of course, everything was all yellow and gold. We ate a second dinner at 3 o’clock in the morning ( I know that sounds weird but that is very typical in Peru to be served a meal at a party very very late at night) complete with grapes as it is Peruvian tradition to eat 12 grapes at midnight for good luck.

I was wearing an outfit that looked like something I would have worn in 1988: a black cotton dress patterned with white stars and a turqiouse ribbon around the waist, complete with black leggings underneath. It is not something I would have gone out in by myself but Candice picked it out and encouraged me to go out like that. So topped off with yellow earinings and a yellow plastic lei I hit the dance floor. I got a second wind thanks to the awesome mix of music. They played Michael Jackson back to back with Huayno (pronounced Wino, and is traditional Andean music). I put on quiet a show for the all Peruvian crowd who got such a kick out of the white girl rocking out to their traditional music along with rock and pop. I buggied all night. I was twisting and shaking to "Grease Lightning" and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” with a 60 year old Peruvian woman with a wicked under bite, at 5:30 in the morning.

I literally danced till the sun came up. It was such a wonderful evening highlighted by the fact I got to spend it with such wonderful people. By the time I hung up my gold party hat at 7 in the morning it was 2008. Thanks to all the yellow I wore and grapes I ate, it’s gonna be a good year.