I got to sleep in again and woke up to already-made coffee... so nice. We hung out at home till about noon, when Meredith, Bethany and I went to El Cascajal. For only 35 soles (plus the cost of drinks), you get a giant buffet lunch -- including postres -- and listen to a live band and watch baile folklรณrico. We went partly because it's my last weekend here, but also partly because Meredith wanted to treat some friends to lunch as a Mother's Day gift -- they were the family that she lived with when she came to Peru during college, I think. This dance is from Cuzco (there are different cultural dances from all different regions of Peru). They did four different dances, and on the one that is typical of the region around Tarma, they pulled me down onto the dance floor. The dancers pulled Bethany down to the dance floor twice (I think they single out gringas -- we were the only three gringas in the whole place). It was so so so fun (except that Bethany was feeling pretty sick by the end of it). Bethany and I took a taxi home (and I gave directions entirely in Spanish!), and while she slept, I practiced my testimony in Spanish. Then I went to the universitarios group at 7 at Buen Pastor. We sang some songs, had a time of prayer, I gave my testimony -- which I'm pretty sure everyone understood -- and then Ramiro taught a lesson. As he closed the lesson, he prayed for the group, but then he prayed a lot for me specifically, which was so nice. And THEN Christian said that they all wanted to take a picture with me because it was my last time there, and they had bought me a cake that said "Te queremos Bethany!" They're so sweet -- I'm totally blown away. Or maybe that feeling only lingered until they rubbed chocolate cake all over my face and in my hair. Apparently it's a tradition, but I'm inclined to blame Eden because it was she who suggested it, or maybe Claudia because she actually carried it out. Apparently it took about five people to restrain me -- there was a lot of flailing. But Cynthia and Eden helped me wash it off, though I'm sure I still have it in my hair. I don't even care. It was such an awesome day. I'm pretty sure I'm going to cry when I leave.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Day 72
I got to sleep in again and woke up to already-made coffee... so nice. We hung out at home till about noon, when Meredith, Bethany and I went to El Cascajal. For only 35 soles (plus the cost of drinks), you get a giant buffet lunch -- including postres -- and listen to a live band and watch baile folklรณrico. We went partly because it's my last weekend here, but also partly because Meredith wanted to treat some friends to lunch as a Mother's Day gift -- they were the family that she lived with when she came to Peru during college, I think. This dance is from Cuzco (there are different cultural dances from all different regions of Peru). They did four different dances, and on the one that is typical of the region around Tarma, they pulled me down onto the dance floor. The dancers pulled Bethany down to the dance floor twice (I think they single out gringas -- we were the only three gringas in the whole place). It was so so so fun (except that Bethany was feeling pretty sick by the end of it). Bethany and I took a taxi home (and I gave directions entirely in Spanish!), and while she slept, I practiced my testimony in Spanish. Then I went to the universitarios group at 7 at Buen Pastor. We sang some songs, had a time of prayer, I gave my testimony -- which I'm pretty sure everyone understood -- and then Ramiro taught a lesson. As he closed the lesson, he prayed for the group, but then he prayed a lot for me specifically, which was so nice. And THEN Christian said that they all wanted to take a picture with me because it was my last time there, and they had bought me a cake that said "Te queremos Bethany!" They're so sweet -- I'm totally blown away. Or maybe that feeling only lingered until they rubbed chocolate cake all over my face and in my hair. Apparently it's a tradition, but I'm inclined to blame Eden because it was she who suggested it, or maybe Claudia because she actually carried it out. Apparently it took about five people to restrain me -- there was a lot of flailing. But Cynthia and Eden helped me wash it off, though I'm sure I still have it in my hair. I don't even care. It was such an awesome day. I'm pretty sure I'm going to cry when I leave.
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