When
I was living with the McCarten family in the Washington, D. C. area after
college, they surprised me for my birthday with a night at the famous Marrakesh
Restaurant in the District. Named for
the city in Morocco, this restaurant was simply the most exotic locale and
dining experience I’d ever had. With
gorgeous North African tile, Cyrillic writing on the walls, and a belly dancer
at our table for dessert, it’s a night I’ll never forget. We sat on pillows on the floor around the very
low tables. Now whenever I don’t have
enough seating for dinner guests, I just say I like to pretend we’re dining in Marrakesh,
Morocco, and I put all the kids on the floor around low coffee tables.
Our
little tables came in handy when we recently had the pleasure of hosting 15 for
lunch. While the kids didn’t have exotic
cushions to sit on, it was fun to host a big group of Bolivians and Australians. Another lunch at our apartment was with an Argentinean
mom and two kids from our school. A cheery
and funny lady, she spoke so fast I barely understood her during the whole visit. But somehow talking about the kids and school
makes a great starting point for a friendship.
Fiestas
Being an avid MSU Bobcat football fan in Bolivia has its disadvantages. One can’t just go to the sports bar and watch the game. But in today’s internet age, it is possible to follow some of the action. While Quinn was recently tracking a game, an opposing player was penalized for “excessive celebration.” I thought this was funny because that kind of sums up Bolivia’s love for parties. Almost every weekend here in Cochabamba there’s loads of fireworks around the city and there’s an abundance of holidays sprinkled throughout the year.
Being an avid MSU Bobcat football fan in Bolivia has its disadvantages. One can’t just go to the sports bar and watch the game. But in today’s internet age, it is possible to follow some of the action. While Quinn was recently tracking a game, an opposing player was penalized for “excessive celebration.” I thought this was funny because that kind of sums up Bolivia’s love for parties. Almost every weekend here in Cochabamba there’s loads of fireworks around the city and there’s an abundance of holidays sprinkled throughout the year.
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| Fun games: the mom caught crossing her legs during the night must wear a "baby" on her back, in traditional aguayo fabric. |
Speaking
of celebrations, I was happy to be asked to co-host a baby shower for a
friend. Another ex-pat and I decided to
keep the event “low key” and stay away from potentially embarrassing games and
the like. Oh no, this would not do—the
women who came to the shower brought their own ideas and supplies for games. It was a riot, complete with lipstick designs
drawn on faces, eating contests while blindfolded, and so on. The raucous night was a great way to build
relationships.
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| Kellton and Astoria help out with "Day of the Student" festivities |
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| Kellton and Astoria's class learned an elaborate dance for Cochabamba Day |
Children
here also benefit from the spirit of celebrations. On back to back Fridays, our kids had an
elaborate event for “Cochabamba Day” to commemorate the founding of the city,
and then the next Friday had “Day of the Student”—complete with gifts for every
child, chocolate dipped marshmallows and 10 kiddie pools set up on the
lawn. And festivities for “Day of the
Child” are not far off. Kind of reminds
me of a Savior who is the life of the party and turned water into wine. Here in Bolivia the celebrations may be
excessive, but hey, no penalty.
John 10:10b (NIV) Speaking to some famous party crashers, Jesus said “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (emphasis mine).
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| Does this look like a baby shower with moms? |
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| Astoria wears traditional braid extensions and a hard white hat signifying she's "from Cochabamba" |
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| Some last minute dance instructions from Profesora Nancy |
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