Par-tay! Or, the kindergarten graduation fiesta that was as fancy as a wedding reception

*Apologies for the poor photo/video quality; our real camera hasn't surfaced since Thanksgiving so we were stuck using the cell phone.*

So, Miss M is wrapping up kindergarten and they had a big party to celebrate.  We went to the event not knowing exactly what to expect.  We had gotten information on the appropriate clothing to wear, knew we would have a meal, paid for our tickets (including a small token fee for Little A that covered the entertainment and "surprise" prize pack but not her meal...which was just as well given that she doesn't eat wheat and couldn't eat much of the meal anyway.)

The parents had been preparing special surprise entertainment (*spoiler* Dave was a wolf in a children's storybook interpretation....short video clip will be embedded below) and we knew there would be a clown and a piñata.  However...when we got there...the sheer level of decorations was somewhat astounding for us.  It looked like an American wedding reception. 

The cakes- 5 for Ano 5

Waterfall outside

Many rose bouquets

 Getting in on the fun costumes....there isn't really a place to put these pics but I thought they were funny so here they are.

M as an "Angry Bird" (yes, I know it's a piggy)

A, as a decidedly less Angry Bird

The girls had fancy dresses and hair (I took M to a salon near our house and paid about $7 for them to do her hair up in curls, which started falling out as soon as we left.  Thanks to the power of Aqua-Net hair spray, she did still have wavy hair the morning after.  Her straight hair comes directly from both grandmothers. :)   The boys wore suits and parents were dressed in suits, skirts, dresses, and other "Sunday-best" level of clothing. 


The girls and me



The whole fam

The program was as follows:
1. Announcement/processional of the kids (each child escorted by opposite gender parent)

2. Welcome speech by principal
3. Dance of the graduates (with opposite gender parent)

4. Presentation of gifts to teachers of the past three years
5. Lunch (the kids all sat at a head table along with teachers and administrators, who appeared to spend most of the lunch running around helping the kids pour pop, cut meat, etc.)
                                                             


Our meal- chicken cordon bleu, fruit salad with whipped cream, and maybe potatoes?  Not sure.

Our table

6. Presentation of diplomas (recuerdos or remembrances).  This is a big framed picture with one pic of the graduate and a class photo, along with everyone's names.  The children also signed a class book.  During the presentation, they played a mini-slide show of each child (6 pictures) and talked about the child, what they liked about school.  That was all in Spanish, so I didn't catch all of M's, but she said she loved her dad and she had the best mom.  M is doing the traditional Peruvian picture face (no smile).

7. Parent Entertainment- one dancing show, followed by a theater production that Dave was in, followed by another dance.  Everyone was in costume.  If you didn't have at least one parent participating (some families had both parents in something), you had to pay a fine.   Dave being in the play got me out of the dance.

Moms dancing (I think this is a dance a famous group Hi 5 does).

The play.  Dave is the energetic wolf trying to steal a crown from a rock.

8. Animacion Infantil: A clown and his sidekick did games (including things like relay races which wore the kids out) and a parent participation where you could earn prizes.  M and I won for tossing your child high up in the air and catching them again.  Not bad for a girl in heels, I say.  After the games, the clown did a puppet show and magic show and then it was Hora Loca (Crazy Hour).  This is apparently normal at Peruvian parties as a wind down/finale activity.  In this case, we had a light show, tubes of confetti, shaving cream, and loud music, all done with people marching around wearing hats, headbands, ties, masks, and other accessories that were handed out, waving long balloons and making noise in addition to the music.  See video clip below.



Magic Show

Balloons at the ready for Hora Loca (Crazy Hour)

9. Distribution of party favors and cake.  (We ate cake earlier, but the kids all got a boxed piece of cake to take home, too.)

It was an incredible amount of work to pull something like this off, and we are thankful to the other parents who did it.  We went to at least 8 or 9 meetings (not counting all of the theater practices) and boy does it seem like a lot of work to plan in a collaborative culture where everyone gets to vote on things like what food is served and what color tablecloths to use.  But the end result was a really fun party.  And long, too...Dave and A left after 5.5 hours and M and I headed out at the end (8 hours after we arrived!)

Living the 1860s Dream

I've taken a little bit of a break from the blog...life had settled into a normal pace and I needed a little time to think, reflect, and get over the 3 month hump.  But, here we are....with Thanksgiving behind us (post coming whenever our camera surfaces) and Christmas and New Year's ahead.  And the first quarter of 2014 brings some travel for us and our first visitors from back home!  We're excited about the activities in the next months.

One of the things I've been doing is comparing and contrasting my life now with what life might have been like in the 1860s in frontier Minnesota.

You may or may not know that my hobby is civilian reenacting with The Living History Society of Minnesota.  I'm in a little bit of history withdrawal here, so I signed up to follow a few reenactment Facebook pages and have been planning my next dresses by pinning pictures of originals to my 1860s Pinterest board.

My sweet girls.

That's me in the middle.  None of that white stuff down here!

But...living here has been both the realization of a dream and the death of a dream.  Specifically.....*STAGE WHISPER*....I don't think I actually would have been as great of a prairie housewife as I've always imagined I would be. 

Here in Peru, I've got many more resources and comforts than I would have had on the prairie- namely, running water, a gas stove, a washing machine (cold water only until recently, but Dave got us into the big leagues with hot water), electricity, and of course, the internet.  On the work side, I've got two kids, responsibility for setting up the house, buying food and other household necessities, a "maid-of-all-work" who does most of the routine cleaning (check out the job duties from 1871), and more.  I'm also fortunate enough to have a husband who does most of the cooking and related clean up and takes a goodly share of the childcare duties.  (Thanks for all you do, DP!)

Food Prep area at our group's annual lyceum (learning event)

Cooking area.  Prep, cooking, and clean up takes ALL DAY.

I'm realizing that no matter how you cut it, running a household with two littles is just a ton of work!  And work that isn't of the nature that makes my heart sing.  The introvert in me really appreciates time alone, which is in short supply when you are in a house with other people all the time.  Our house here is great (and bigger than what we probably would have had on the prairie).  But there is always someone around, so you never really get to be alone.

And while I am really, really, ReaLLy thankful for the opportunity we have here, it's just a little bit sad to me to realize that the romanticized prairie life would have been even harder than I already realized.  And I am thankful to live in the modern era, with all the support and comforts it affords.

*Please note, this post is in no way intended to be a commentary on being at home or working outside the home.  I'm very thankful to live in an era where we have options; had I been living during the 1860s I would not have had many options at all.  My post is just a reflection on the fact that living in the past would have been even harder than I realized after all these years of reenacting.  I hope all readers are able to do as they prefer in their own lives and I am also very grateful for the support of family and friends in my own life choices.

(Away from) Home for the Holidays

I like the weather here.  Except for a few days, the weather for the past three months we've lived here has been sunny and warm (low to mid 70s) during the day, sun up around 6am, sun down about 6pm, cooler in the evening and early morning hours.  That's nice. 

But....for a Midwestern girl, heading into fall without any cold weather, leaves changing, or frost is just plain weird. (Yes, technically it's spring here, since we're on the other side of the equator.  But I'm sticking with the seasons I know since there isn't much change here except that summer (Jan/Feb) is rainy season and apparently yukky.)

I tried to help by putting up a few fall decorations.  I made two of these felt leaf garlands. And while I was making them, it helped.  But putting up pumpkins and fall leaves when it's 70 degrees out just doesn't do a whole lot.  It seems like you're just pretending. 

I do love the hand sewn acorns and I look forward to putting this up in MN.

It didn't feel like Halloween, it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving is just around the corner, that it is less than one month to my birthday, or that Christmas is just over one month away.  In some ways, I feel like Groundhog Day...we wake up, we do the same stuff, and the weather never changes. I even pass the same people on the way to and from school....  :)

I am curious...what do other people who grew up with four defined seasons and now live somewhere with more temperate weather do to get into the holiday spirit?  I need some tips, people!  I love the holidays but this weird weather is throwing off my groove. 

We did get a couple of packages over the past couple of weeks that included pictures of our extended family.  I hung up a little picture gallery in our stairwell and I LOVE, love, LOVE seeing the family every day as I go up and down.  It's a little piece of home. 

My happy place.  Sometimes A sits on the stairs and talks to the pictures.

I miss being home for the holidays.  I'm sad I can't go shopping the day after Thanksgiving with my BFF.  I'm glad that we have some families to celebrate Thanksgiving with here and that I get to make the pies.  I'm glad that the holidays have a bigger meaning.  But I'm sad to be away from our norms (even the snow). 

Eat an extra piece of pie or whatever food makes the holiday special for you and give your loved ones an extra squeeze!

"Picado" does NOT mean "Fish"

From the Dave Files:

Scene from last week:

“I should try some fish for supper tonight.  Let’s see here… a number of options in this freezer case.  That one looks scary.  That one looks doable, but a lot of work… how about one without a head, tail and fins on it?  Oh, here’s one that’s already prepped – nice bite sized pieces… per usual, can’t tell what those other words mean, but ‘picado’ – fish, and the price seems reasonable… about s/15 a kilo – that’s just north of $2 a pound.  Let’s go with that for supper tonight.  Maybe Flor knows how to make this in some special Peruvian way.”

(rough idea of the conversation in my terrible Spanish)

D: “Flor, can you help me make this fish tonight?”

F: “What fish?”

D: “This fish.”

F: “No, that’s not fish, but it’s good.  I can help you.”

D: “What is it?”

F: (something I don’t understand)

Keturah: “I veto that.”

D: “Veto what?”

F: “It’s really pretty good.”

K: “Yeah, no way.”

D: “What is it?”

 

K: “That’s stomach – pieces of stomach.”

D: “Oh… not pescado?... Oh, it says ‘picado’… pieces… of something.”

K: “Yeah, no thanks.”

Needless to say, Flor’s dog had a special treat that night.

Ed. Note: Sorry I don't have a picture.  It was white stomach that did look a lot like fish.  Also, most of the fish here in the grocery store is on ice, with heads and tails still attached, but gutted.  I'm not sure if they do more in store when you select your fish or if you finish the preparations at home.

Further humor.  When my mom was in Peru 40 years ago as a missionary, she told people they needed to repent of their pescados (fishes); what she actually meant to say was they needed to repent of their pecados (sins).  Clearly, my family has a problem with the Spanish word for "fish."

Holiday Series: Halloween- the same but different

Growing up, Halloween was always a favorite of mine.  I'm sorry that I can't post a picture of me, circa 8th grade (since it's in MN and not accessible).  That was the year that I went dressed as the Hardin County Courthouse (and my brother was City Hall).  Yes, we made the costumes ourselves, out of cardboard boxes that we painted with bricks painstakingly hand-drawn.  I messed up a bit on the armhole placement, so I never quite managed to get my head all the way up the tower (my face was one of the clock faces).

Halloween was always about dressing up and using your imagination, not about scary things or gore.  I still hate scary movies and refuse to watch them.  Even suspense movies give me nightmares and I don't like murder mystery shows unless I know who dies and who did it in advance. 

So, with that background, we've been happy to let our girls experience the fun of dressing up and running around getting candy.  Here in Arequipa, there are some things that are much the same as Halloween in the states and some that are pretty different.  And a third category- "claim Halloween for yourself and make it awesome" that we were lucky enough to tag onto here.

Tinkerbell and our little Princess Pea

Girls at the beginning of the party in the park- the little cat kept trying to run away.

 Things that are the Same:

• Kids dress up in uniforms (very similar- mix of princesses, fairies, superheroes, cartoon characters, some "scary" things, esp. for older kids).
• Kids go out trick-or-treating.
• Kids love candy and sweets.

Trick-or-Treating in the mall

Once the kids figured out a store was giving candy, a whole group entered.

Things that are Different:

• Almost all costumes are rented, not purchased (and renting them is pretty spendy, compared to US prices and considering the average income here.)  We used dress up clothes we brought from home for both girls and I bought a wing kit downtown for M's costume.
• Trick-or-treating is mostly at businesses, not at individual homes.  If at individual homes, it's the decision of the neighborhood and (I think) done primarily for kids in that neighborhood and their friends.  We didn't hand out candy or have any trick-or-treaters.
• Businesses hand out mostly hard candy, with a few doing popcorn (not always in a bag- scooped out of a large bin), and some doing small crackers or cookies.
• Kids say "Sorpresa!" (Surprise!) and not "trick-or-treat" or the directly translated equivalent. But in practical experience, most of them just sort of went in, looked hopeful, and were either given candy or waved away by businesses that weren't handing anything out.
• A lot of employees had costumes, which isn't necessarily different, but the grocery store employees had MATCHING costumes....at Plaza Vea (kind of like a Super Target) all the men were dressed as cowboys, for example.

Trick-or-Treating in the mall

Some mall performers (hired by a store)

New thing that was really fun:

There are a lot of ecological, healthy-minded folks that  we've met down here. (Family, don't worry- I can still learn plenty of hippie tricks.)  One of them is wonderfully creative and inclusive and coordinated a kids party in mid-afternoon at the park near her house.  The parents all brought some kind of healthy treat, and the kids had a chance to run around the park, slide on the slides, and trick-or-treat around the park.  We had the cutest little pumpkin fruit cups, papaya/banana smoothies, glove "bags" of popcorn, healthy brownie bites, monster popcorn (with honey and spirulina (a kind of algae) sprinkled on it to make it green), and organic fruit. 

Her favorite treat- papaya/banana smoothie.

Super cute "pumpkin" fruit cups.

We went bobbing for apples (stems picked to be long and give the kiddos a chance to succeed) and it was such a treat to be able to let the kids eat whatever they wanted without worrying about it. 

M's first bob!

A thought apple bobbing was hilarious.

We had a great time out and about and enjoying the holiday experience in a new country.  The not so fun part?  Learning that today is a national holiday AFTER showing up to school with Miss M.  The custodian was at the gate and told me there wasn't any school today.  I had kind of wondered...because there was a school party last night, and often if the teachers work extra there is no school soon thereafter...but I had looked at her school calendar and in her homework notebook (where they have sent such notes before) and it didn't say anything about no school.  I think it's one of those things that everyone just "knows," except we don't.  So M, A and I got some quality bonding time this morning bussing to school and walking home.

Funny sight of the day...they put all the Christmas decorations
up at the mall this past week.  So the kids were in costumes
walking right by a giant Christmas tree and elves.

Halloween (that's this post)

Thanksgiving

Advent

Christmas

New Years

Easter

Mother's Day 

Who let the dogs out?

One thing I was a little concerned about in coming here was dogs.  I am not a big fan.  However, both girls are.  I have probably petted more dogs since Miss M was 1 year old than I did in the 20 years prior.  :)  I especially don't like jumping (on me) and licking, though I think dogs have a great place for those who love them, and especially admire service and companion dogs and the way they improve the quality of life for their owners.  (So if you are dog lover, don't take it personally.  Someone has to care for the animals.  I just hope it won't be me.)

At any rate, I knew there were a lot of stray dogs here, as well as rooftop guard dogs, and I was concerned about how they might interact with the girls.  There is a big difference between seeing someone in a US park and asking to pet their dog and having a stray come up to you in Peru. (At least that is what I thought coming in.)

I've been pleasantly surprised to find that although there are a lot of strays, they leave you alone and I have never felt that the girls or I were threatened when out and about.  Most of the time the dogs that wander the streets don't even bark at you or pay much attention.  In fact, the worst interaction happened when two tiny dogs decided to bark up a storm when we dared to walk on the sidewalk near their house.

All that said, here's a compilation of dogs we saw when out and about (this isn't even all of them and doesn't include pics of any rooftop dogs). 

Regular in the street dog.

This one scared A, even though it didn't do anything.  I think it was the size.

Big dog, but very friendly.

 

Little dog near our house.
 

A sign in the park reminding people to scoop the poop. I am not sure if the numerous poop piles
on sidewalks and roads come from mostly strays, or also from people who walk their dogs. 
I could have taken lots of pictures of piles of dog poop that no one has scooped,
 but I thought this sign was better.  You're welcome.  :)

 

Want to make a difference? The world of micro-loans...

One of the things that interests me is social justice.  I benefited greatly by the happenstance events that led to me being born to a Caucasian family in the United States.  Life wasn't always easy growing up with 4 (sometimes 5) kids in our house and money was pretty tight.  But we always had food (even if it was oatmeal suppers) and clothing (mostly hand-me-downs and garage sale finds), I always had a roof over my head, and we had love and a lot of fun.

Not everyone gets that chance.  One of my favorite MBA classes was on diversity, but the class touched on so much more than just racial diversity or gender diversity.  We read peer reviewed studies and delved into the dynamics of gender, race, religion, socio-economic status, age, and more.  I knew some things going into this class but the volume of things I read and the online discussions broadened my horizons and helped me further explore the white privilege I enjoy and the things that were handed to or available to me through no choice or impact of my own.

For example:

• I was born to people who highly valued reading and regularly read to me.  My mother was an elementary school teacher.  Through their sharing of books, I became an early-reader bookworm.  This undoubtedly impacted my ability to do well in school. 
• My parents also placed a premium on education and helped ensure that we had educational opportunities.
• I worked hard in school, did well on standardized tests, and earned scholarships that paid for almost all of my undergrad degree.
• Because my parents also valued savings and had experienced the pain of school loans, they set up a system whereby we kids saved 45% of our money for college.  (10% went to "Jesus money" and we picked where we wanted to give it, and the other 45% was for us to spend as we wished.)  This system meant I had $6,000 saved when I went to school.  After scholarships, I paid about $4,000 out of pocket for my four year degree, continued saving through school, and had more money in the bank when I left college than when I went in. 
• My employer paid for 80% of my MBA.

I'm not fool-hardy enough to think that I pulled myself up by my own bootstraps.  I did work hard, got good grades, and did well for myself.  But the seeds of that success (which also allowed me to get a better job and a much higher salary than just a high school education would have) came from others and things I had very little or nothing to do with.  They are also very tangibly demonstrated in the life I've lived and even the opportunity we now have to be living in Peru.

Which leads me to think about the people I interact with and see in Peru.  So many of them have more of a hand-to-mouth existence.  The minimum wage for empleadas is around $1.50 per hour, from what I've been told.  They don't have the same leg up that many of us have enjoyed.  (Despite the differences, I'm learning that Peru is a country with huge natural beauty and resources, lovely people, developing infrastructure, and hard workers.) 

One program I think is very cool is the CUDA microloan program (see microfinance FAQs).  You can lend as little as $25 and use your capital to give people a chance to help themselves as they pay back the money with their new success. When the loan is repaid, you can choose to reinvest your money in a new loan or get your money back.



Click here to see the graphic http://icdu.halcyonflies.com/resources/images/how-it-works/how-it-works_full_white.png

So since I have somewhat of a platform, I encourage you to think about the privilege you've enjoyed in your own life and challenge you to share the wealth- literally.  If you want to participate in this micro-lending program, check out the CUDA website.  I'm personally impressed by their focus on sustainable improvements and education.  They also have Peruvian leadership and United States partners. But this isn't the only thing you can do....see where you have enjoyed privilege and work to positively impact those who haven't enjoyed the same privileges that you have, wherever you are.

CUDA (click here to learn more about the organization):

Urban  Development as the Promotion of Total Wellbeing

The Christian Urban Development Association is a non-governmental, non-profit, faith-based organization that empowers vulnerable communities in urban Peru to overcome cycles of poverty. Our vision of  justice, wellbeing, and joy in the city leads us to promote physical, psychological, social, and spiritual wellbeing through projects in the areas of education, health, finance, and the environment.

Mission Statement
CUDA's mission is to promote holistic wellbeing among vulnerable urban populations. CUDA networks resources and carries out programs that empower sustainable improvement in individual, family, and community quality of life.

As an added incentive...Dave and I will match (dollar for dollar) any CUDA loans people make after reading this post up to $200 by making a micro loan of our own.  Because it's a microloan program, you should receive your money back. As with any loan, there is a chance of default (the compliance part of me feels like I should say this).  But, their repayment rates are high and the program has a proven track record. 

If you are interested in making a loan and qualifying for this "match," just send me an email or Facebook message on my Facebook page.  Thanks for considering this opportunity and know there is absolutely no pressure at all from me to do this; I won't think worse of anyone who doesn't make a loan. But I do hope that you take action to help resolve inequity wherever you might see it in your own sphere of the world.