Año Nuevo 2009

On Christmas and in the days following, I enjoyed a little rest and a few phone conversations with my family, all gathered together at my folks´ place in Redding, CA. Other activities in for the final days of December included finalizing and posting the music that I mentioned in my last entry (see also music link at right), a year end get-together and evaluation with JUMIFRA (Franciscan Missionary Youth, our parish youth council), a soccer game at the local stadium, preliminary planning for summer youth activities and our next cycle of English classes, a lot of singing with the choir, and preparations for the arrival of houseguests (Julie´s sister Clare and Jane´s friends Jenn and Robert). Just before New Years the girls traveled to Lima to do immigration paperwork and meet their visitors, returning on the 30th in time to prepare for a New Years Eve party that JUMIFRA had asked to hold in our back patio.

Our celebration of the New Year 2009 was unique and memorable – something I know I´ll remember fondly wherever I happen to be welcoming 2010. On the 31st, a team of friends and youth council members came by in the morning to begin cleaning and decorating for the evening – sweeping, washing, blowing up and hanging balloons and ´crepe paper´ (TP), making a sign, etc (parties aren´t as hard when others help you clean the house ). Due to heat and the need to buy a few more supplies, we agreed to gather again at 5:00 pm to finish the job. In the early afternoon after my mostly unsuccessful attempt build up strength by taking a nap, our friend Alex showed up with a load of food, which Julie and he had bought earlier at the market, in order to cook a fancy dinner for us that we would share later – he and his family run a small restaurant out of their home. [The New Years celebration here takes a distinct from that in the US, where parties begin at 8:00 or so and the climax is more or less at 12:00 midnight. In Peru, families eat wait until near midnight to hold their dinner – at the strike of twelve, people flow into the street to burn life size dolls, set off firecrackers and give new years´ hugs. Only after this, at 1:00 am or so, do people head out to the jam-packed (so I hear) discotecas or other parties, staying out until daylight oftentimes]. So Juan, Lenin and I took charge of hanging the rest of the balloons and spraying down the patio, while Alex and the girls worked away in the kitchen, breaking only temporarily to buy a replacement gas canister from our friend and English student Anthony, who runs a small store from his house down the street.

I left the preparations part way through, a busy night of singing ahead of me. First, our choir had a contract to sing at a 7:00 pm wedding (two parties with one expense). Next, I joined members of the three parish choirs to rehearse for the 9:00 pm New Years´ Mass. The fact that the church would be nearly full on New Years´ Eve at 9:00 pm still surprises me, but I guess if your night will last until sunrise the next day then 9:00 pm is like the morning . At any rate, I really enjoyed singing in the new year in such a fashion, returning quickly after Mass to help at home. Alex, Yuri, Juan Carlos, Lenin and Nelly joined us four and our three guests for the New Years´ dinner – they gave up spending the moment with their families to help us have a festive holiday away from home (and to have a great meal). Though very hungry, we held off on the food until midnight, at which time we went out into the street, gave the new years´ abrazo all round, and were one by one doused with sticky glitter by Lenin and Nelly – we all shone the rest of the night. Up and down our street, Avenida Perú, life-sized dolls made of old clothes and sawdust – and doused with kerosene – burned brightly, giving a strange TV-news war-zone shot feel to the whole thing. The hiss and bang of fireworks provided background for numerous photos and a genuinely beautiful, heartening, (though slightly bizarre) moment of friendship and joy. Soon enough, hunger drew us inside to the waiting dinner of roast stuffed chicken, mashed potatoes, Russian (potato-beet) salad, champaigne, and (of course) panetón.

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The arrival of the finishing touches to the sound system for the night (speakers from Yuri, CD player from Ginno, amplifier borrowed for the occasion by Anthony) and the first guests at 1:00-1:30 left us no time for doing dishes (a mess the next day). After some early-arrivers helped us out by going home to bring back music CDs, the party was off and running – or dancing, I should say. By 2:30 most guests had arrived, I estimate 60-70 or so in all, youth from various groups within the parish – and they all stayed until at least 5:00, dancing most of the time (with the exception of everyone going out into the street to watch a short fire-breathing/spinning exhibition by a friend of Courtney and Julie). With the help of some extra caffeine I made it until 6:00 am, when it was already starting to get light, and the last stragglers didn´t say good-bye until 7:30. A photo as folks just started to arrive:




Though a recuperating sleep would have been nice, instead a band of us shook off the fatigue and headed to the beach (another common New Years custom) at about 9:30 am, alternatingly swimming at taking short naps on the sand. Arriving back at the house at 5:00 pm, I had just one more commitment – singing at the New Years Day 7:00 pm mass with a combined choir before coming home and falling into profound sleep. Happy New Year everyone!