Los Ninos!

Friday we had off from classes which was a nice break from the daily grind and allowed me to catch up on some of my work and finally finished my Lima book in the morning. Then we went to the Air Force school for our last day there. They had put together a closing ceremony for us filled with cultural dances and music. The ceremony started with a presentation of flowers and much deserved gift for our wonderful teacher Monica. Then they called us each up in our speaking partner pairs to receive a very nice gift of  a t-shirt and hat. Then the show began with the students playing traditional music from coastal Peru with students playing traditional cajons and even and instrument made from a donkey's jaw which was really cool to see. They had some of the students do a traditional dance from .the coast as well. Then they switched to music from the jungle region of Peru and a traditional dance from that region as well and they even pulled a few of the students from my group up on the stage. All the performers were amazing and it was a really nice send off. Unfortunately after the performance it was time to say goodbye but of course we had to get a few group pictures together first and we even got a "fluye" one with a few of the girls who taught us that. We did eventually leave and at this point 10 of us headed to Buckingham Colegio de Ingles.


The Buckingham Colegio de Ingles is a elementary school teaching Pre-K through 6th grade and when we arrived we had no idea what to expect but we got more than we could have imagined. It seemed like the whole town had come out to meet us and and they had prepared a show with the kids about the history of Peru and surrounding the front area was foods galore from all the areas of Peru. They then started the night with a surprise parade that they threw just for us . They even had a banner with our picture on it from the airport that they led the parade with. There were balloons and noisemakers as we made our way around the Plaza de Dos Calles and back to the school.
 
 Back at the school we started the show with the Pre-K students who taught us about the three different regions of Peru, Coastal, Sierra, and Jungle. I was able to escort two of the little girls up to the stage which was a really cute and memorable moment. The Sixth graders who presented to us a few of Peru's historic heroes and then it went back to the First graders who taught us about the sea and Lima's dependence on the sea. The second graders came next and they taught us about the Chavin civilization putting on a fake offering ceremony which was well done especially for only being in second grade. The third graders put on a play about the pirates that use to ransack Callao. These kids were born to act and they were very invested in their part of the show. Next were the fourth graders who taught us about the ancient civilization of Paracas and how they did brain surgery during ancient times. Then the fifth graders came on and taught us about colonial Lima and gave us some delicious food like piquerones which are basically donuts covered in honey. Lastly the sixth graders came back out and led a group song for the end of the show which was absolutely adorable.
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What I forgot to mention was that during all of this they we showering us with food and gifts. I had emoliente, chicha, tamales, causa rellena, pantillas, and so much more food along with a flag and handmade boat, a keychain and a few other things. The party did have to come to a close with some picture taking though. I felt famous with all the parents and the kids that wanted to take pictures with us. I tried to learn most of the names but there were just so many. We did have to leave at some time though no matter how much I wanted to stay but I can say that without a doubt this was one of the most fun and amazing experiences I've ever had in my life and I'll never forget it and I hope I get to return one day.