Dances and Parades!

Friday

There wasn’t too much to do on Friday at work.  While I was gone in Huancayo, the first of three harvests had been completed for the aeroponics experiment.  So I helped perform some evaluations and then continued reading publications for the rest of the day.

Saturday

Saturday morning was fairly relaxing.  I was able to sleep in for a few hours extra and then picked up my room.  In the afternoon, Liliam and I went to Jockey Plaza to pick up some clothing for her grandkids because Daniel was flying to Spain a few days afterwards.  We spent a couple of hours shopping, and she also picked up some fruitcake which seems much more popular here.

Later that evening, I went to Starbucks for a warm drink and a relaxing place to read my book.  I was able to finish my Honor’s summer reading book called Where am I Wearing?.  The book covers the author’s journey across the world as he tracks down where his clothing was made while also discussing cultural differences and the effects of globalization.  Overall, I found it to be a fascinating read, especially as I have caught a glimpse of what life is like in a developing country.

Afterwards, I went to a cultural dance event hosted by La Molina, the district of LiF ma where I live.  This was the last of three weekly cultural events the district held in the weeks prior to the Peruvian Independence Day, and I was excited to finally see one!

At the entrance, they asked everyone to take a sticky note and write some message to put on the gigantic PERU letters they had displayed.  Then I took a seat and waited for the show to start.  

After several speeches by the mayor and local officials, the festivities began. There were dozens of dances from different regions of Peru that were performed for the next couple of hours, and I loved them!

At the end, a singer came out to perform and then most of the dancers that had performed paraded around the crowd and shot confetti into the air. It was a great end to a festive and colorful event!

Sunday

On Sunday, Dr. Khan picked me up to spend the day in Miraflores, which is one of the nice, touristy districts of Lima on the coast.  He and his wife Valpuri brought their two adorable young kids, Aisar and Maira.  We drove down to Miraflores and found a place to eat lunch.  We had pollo a la brasa (which is really great roasted chicken), anticuchos, limeade, corn, potatoes, and roasted vegetables.  It was a wonderful lunch!

Afterwards, we made our way through the streets to the coast and walked through the parks and coastal areas.  The views were great, but because it is wintertime in Peru, the weather is always cloudy in Miraflores.  Then we went to this cute little German coffee shop for hot chocolate and dessert.

As we were walking back towards the main area of Miraflores, we saw huge crowds of people and found a parade! Apparently Wong’s, a chain of supermarkets, was hosting an Independence Day parade.  We stopped to watch the Chinese dragons and fire trucks, which Aisar adored. 

Then we walked through some of the many tourist-oriented markets for souvenirs and Peruvian handicrafts.  I enjoyed seeing all of the options, but I must admit that the huge variety was a bit overwhelming. After looking around for about a half an hour, we returned to the car and drove back to their house.  Valpuri made some wonderful tea that we drank while playing with Aisar and Maira in their backyard, before driving me back to Liliam’s house. Overall, I really loved the excursion, and it was so much fun meeting Dr. Khan’s family!