Parties, Report Cards and Shopping, Oh My!

As teachers, the end of the year has always been insane. Doing it overseas, brings insane to a whole new level. We're meeting new teachers, saying goodbye to friends, getting our final grades done, and planning trips home. Needless to say, it's been a hectic week.
Maximo went to his birthday parties. I did what I said I would never do... I sent him to the birthday party on Friday afternoon with just the nanny. It is very common here, so no one batted an eye. It was Friday afternoon, I was coming down with a little cold and I had a screaming headache, I was exhausted and didn't want to show up after work, then try to escape a mere twenty minutes later and small talk in Spanish - I've yet to master that. About all I can do is gloat about Maximo for a few minutes then explain why we're living here, but then I'd be at a loss for any depth. It was fine and he was back in time for dinner and Gloria was great and bypassed all the sweets served at the party.
That brings us to yesterday, party number #2. Hannah, another Roosevelt baby born in '07, was just turning 1. Her father is Peruvian, so he would settle for nothing less than a typical 1st birthday party in Peru. (And Lucho told me we better do the same when Maximo turns one because he's Peruvian too - don't hold your breath Lucho!) I'm going to try to set the scene for those of you who may never get to experience a Peruvian birthday party.
We walk in to the house and there are balloon decorations everywhere - not your typical "blow it up, rub it on your head and stick it to the wall" balloons. At closer look, I realized that many of the balloons were personalized - they had Hannah's face on it and a "Happy First Birthday" (WOW!). We say our hellos (kissing everyone in the party in true Peruvian fashion). Then, a mime walks in. He made balloon characters the whole party and passed them out to the kids. Max loves balloons, so he was in hog heaven and surprisingly the painted face of the mime didn't freak him out. There was a big personalized sign in the backyard with a cartoon character of whom I don't know yet - the cartoon characters and popular kids shows still are foreign to the Lemley household. Under the huge sign is a ball pit and play area.
Inside the house, there was food to feed a small army. Truly, there was more food there than I see at most weddings. It was all great delicious little bit-sized foods.
Max had a great time, and he got to hang out with some of the other Roosevelt babies. We tried to get a picture of the babies of his class, but we were missing a Kate and Victoria.
Here's one with Hannah (the birthday girl), Elie (she's 5 days older than Max), Max - the only boy of the year - of foreigners at least, and Lucia (she's 4 months).

Lastly, we went to a Pachamanca yesterday as a goodbye party for our dear friends, the St. Clairs. A Pachamanca is where they bury pork, chicken, lamb, a variety of potatoes, beans, humitas (like tamales) in the ground to cook. It was great. We had fun, but it was late in the day, so unfortunately, I didn't take pictures, in between feeding Max and socializing. I wish I had, because Pedro, watched Max so I could eat and Max has some of his first Pachamanca - well, the potato and humita - he loved the sweet humita... a true Peruano. Max was a trooper all day, and didn't fuss a bit being passed around. He loves being around people and watching everything. He fell asleep on the car ride home.
So, another crazy week is ahead. We have new teachers flying in tonight and staying with us for 4 nights, then we leave for the states on Saturday night. We can't wait! But, we have so much to do before then... like finishing our grading, posting grades, and finishing last minute shopping before we go home!