Sorry... Here's a bit of what's been going on!

I last posted on November 19. It's the 17th of March now. Happy Saint Patrick's Day! But in all seriousness, I'm sorry I take so long to post stuff. Today I'm turning over a new leaf. Thanks to various people (hi Mom, Natty), I will start posting regularly again. Maybe they're the only ones who still read this. Oh well, I'll make it extra awesome for you two. 

So as of November 19, I was still in colegio. Normal stuff, really. It was the beginning of the holiday season, so I decided to cook a nice American Thanksgiving dinner for my family. I went shopping with my host mom, looked up recipes on the internet, and took Thursday off school. I spent all day cooking, but I think it was worth it! 

 I made turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and salad. And I bought some applesauce.

I also made an apple pie, because I'm super cool like that. It wasn't the prettiest, but it tasted really good! 

That's pretty much it for the end of November. The rest of November was basically just school, although I did have some nice leftovers to bring for a few days after Thanksgiving. Some of the other exchange kids who live in Arequipa came down to Tacna for a few days, and we all went to a Rotary event called the "hug of peace" at the Chilean border. There had been some drama over fishing waters/international boundaries/whatnot, and so to show that they all still liked each other the Peruvian Rotary and Lion's Club members met up with the Chilean ones. There was a ceremony, some dancing, and lots of photos. It was really hot, especially because us exchange students had to wear our Rotary blazers. Those things are heavy, and they get really hot. Still, we had a good time and took lots of pictures. 

After the ceremony, Annalena and I took them around Tacna, and we hung out until they had to go back the next day. It was great to see them, especially because we all get along really well. In November my Spanish was still coming along, so I didn't have a ton of friends that I could hang out with and really talk to. It was just very nice. 

December was my last month of school. Since I was in quinto, the 5th and last year of Peruvian high school (they only have 11 years here) I got to take part in all the fun senior stuff. An important thing is the Baile de Promocion, which is basically prom, but just for the graduating class. We all got dressed up (some more than others: my sister left the house at 8 am, went to the salon and didn't come back until 8 pm) and then went to this restaurant that we had rented out. We all had dates, and walked in couple by couple as the parents watched and the principal said a few words about us. Then there were a few speeches, and then we danced. First there's a classic dance with the dad (or in my case, my host brother) and then with your date. Then everyone sits down to eat and talk for about two hours. After we're all comfortably full, everyone hits the dance floor. That was at about 1 am. We danced until about 5 in the morning, until some people (parents) were almost asleep in their chairs. It was a really fun way to end the school year, and I had an incredible time. I'm not sure if prom stateside will be able to measure up! 

Annalena and I, all dressed up!

Annalena and I, with our good friend Renza and our respective dates 

My promocion!

Then suddenly, we had graduated! I even got a nice framed diploma. I had a great time in colegio, and I met so many awesome girls, but I'm happy to have the chance to keep moving forward with my life here in Peru. 

Almost immediately after graduation, it was Christmas! One thing about my Christmas here - it didn't feel like Christmas. It was hot and sunny outside, the smell of pine wasn't filling the house (we had a plastic tree) and the general customs were different from what I knew. But that was fine, and I enjoyed it. I'd just say that's what made the holiday season so easy to spend away from my family - it didn't seem like the holidays that I was used to. And it wasn't like I was alone, either. I had my entire awesome host family there with me. My older sister Bili, who lives in Brazil, came home for the holidays. It was great to meet her! She's pretty awesome in general. On Christmas Eve we all went to Mass, which was different for me. The basics were all there - the cross, the singing, the kids preforming the Nativity scene - but there were some interesting subtle differences. There was also a lot of kneeling and standing. I was always the awkward person who knelt or stood a half second behind everyone else. If I ever decide to become Catholic I should definitely work on my sense of timing. After Mass we went back to the house, and the entire family sat down for a big dinner. We ate until 12 o'clock, when we turned on the radio and counted down, with the rest of Peru, to Christmas. Once the cheering started over the radio practically everyone in the country started shooting off fireworks. It was really cool. Maybe not perfectly safe, but really cool. I'm kind of glad we don't have that tradition in the US though... I can just imagine all the trees going up in flames after Junior found a sparkler lying on the ground. 

Fireworks! 

After the celebrations died down a bit, we all attacked the presents. My little sister handed them all out, and then we opened them all at the same time. After everyone had theirs open, we all went around and showed off the goods. I got some nice gifts, but my favorite one from my host family was definitely the giant bottle of sunscreen that they gave me. Spf 60. Yes, I am that pasty white. No, but honestly, I was really happy to get sunscreen. It's weirdly expensive here, and we spend all summer at the beach, starting at New Year's. It was definitely a necessary for my summer.  

Speaking of New Year's, that's what's coming up next! We went to the beach, along with the rest of Tacna. It was really pretty! The water is quite cold, but the sun is really nice and warm. I'd go out in the mornings and sit in the sand or swim with friends, and then we'd go back for lunch and go out again at night when it was a bit cooler. We had a lot of bonfires, and I taught everyone how to make s'mores. New Year's Eve was a lot like Christmas. We ate a large meal as a family, and then counted down to midnight and set off fireworks. However, that wasn't all. Here in Peru there are a lot of traditions for ringing in the New Year. All day long, people had been walking around the block dragging suitcases behind them, hoping to travel a lot in the coming year. Vendors on the street were selling different colors of underwear to everyone walking around. Yellow means money, red means love, and blue means peace. It was very common that day to ask anyone you saw, even if you barely knew them, what color their underwear was. There was also the tradition of making a life-sized doll out of clothes and things from the old year and burning it at midnight, to burn away any bad luck or experiences from the past year. It honestly looked a bit creepy, to look down the block at midnight and see all these human figures burning outside of people's homes. 

That's my sister, Bili, working on our family's doll

And that's it for 2012 from Peru! My mom's serving lunch right now, so I'll post this and then be back soon with what's happened in 2013 so far. I'll give you all a hint: it's been a great year! Sorry for not posting for so long... It won't happen again! (Well, it might, but not for 4 months again this time.) 

Chau for now,

Emily