Happy New... uhmmm Christmas!!??

Truly enjoyed my first Peruvian Christmas. I have to admit though, it felt a lot more like New Years Eve due to the fireworks and firecrackers. After a Christmas meal, consisting of ham, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, beet salad, corn on the cob and fruit salad, and gift giving at Larry's apartment we left and drove across town. We arrived at the house of my friend's family around 10pm, but that was OK because the festivities don't start until midnight. I even had time to rest a bit in my friend's very pink childhood room. I loved their house. Downstairs was a little store/restaurant, a dining area for their customers to eat, a couple of bathrooms, a bedroom and a kitchen. Upstairs were several more bedrooms and another kitchen and a dining/living room. My favorite part was the open space right when you walked up the steps. There was no roof, but that is not an unusual thing here in Lima since it doesn't really rain here. It has drizzled a few times since I got here, but it is more like a mist, not real rain... I know on a clear night that is where I would hang out and stargaze, although I am not sure how often that is possible here due to the smog. Maybe in the summertime...
For those of you who read my post about the Nativity scene in the park (see Dec 18th), wondering where Baby Jesus was, I got an explanation tonight. Jesus is put in the manger at midnight. Most families seem to have one in their living room. I thought that was so cool! What a nice tradition to do together!
At midnight we all went outside and watched the sky come alive with explosions in all directions. It was almost impossible to speak! It was so loud, but so beautiful. I was very impressed with the celebration and I could have stayed out there all night, but eventually it was time to go inside to eat dinner. I don't think I have had dinner at 1am before, but turkey tastes great at any time, day or night. Which is great because that is what we had for breakfast too. I could get used to this! Turkey is one of my favorite meals if you didn't know.
Christmas day we spent visiting relatives and neighbors. And ate. A lot. Amazing food as usual. Had a taste of the delicious ceviche that my friend's father cooked up for us and there was also fried fish, rice, chicken and salad. Both of his son's have been out of the country for a long time working, and they have been missing certain Peruvian dishes, so he went out of his way to make an amazing lunch/dinner for them and around 25 other relatives.
Everybody was so welcoming and friendly and despite the fact we had trouble communicating, I had such a lovely time. That night I was exhausted from all the concentration it took to try to understand as much as possible of everybody's conversations. I haven't started dreaming in Spanish yet. When that happens I know I will have had a breakthrough.