We got to El Sol a few minutes late and got through grammar, culture, and conversational class okay. There was a feeling of relief floating in the air, from everybody, since we all knew it was our last day struggling with the taxi drivers who had no idea where FAP was, cramming 6 people into 1 cab, and experiencing the chaos of not knowing which classroom was ours for the day. Also, we were just a little relieved that we had one less activity to do during the day and more time to explore or rest.
When we got to FAP we were all surprised to find that we were being sent into classrooms. Most of us thought that we’d go straight into the ceremony and then rush home for a nap and some dinner. I stayed with Diana since she was in my group although the students tried to split us up. They took us to a classroom where Vinny was already settled. The kids and him looked like they were playing “Simon says” with the teacher facilitating, of course, in Spanish.
Diana and I joined the group and started off playing ice breakers and then went on to participate in numerous games. A lot of the games I knew very well and some of the games I had never heard of nor played. I liked that the Professor narrated in Spanish because it forced me to think on my feet and made me shuffle through the limited Spanish vocabulary I knew. For one of the games, our class broke into 2 teams and had to figure out how to shape ourselves into a spoon, a dinosaur, and a house (with windows). I was really happy that I ended up in a drama classroom for our last day at FAP.
Once the bell rang, we were all escorted to the auditorium where we once had our welcome ceremony, historical lectures, and meetings. A man, who I believe to be the Principal of FAP, spoke first, thanking us for our time and talking about the importance of globalization and cultural exchange programs such as the one we had been participating in for our 2 weeks in Lima. He went on to talk about the current political situation in Peru, the election between Ollanta and Keiko. It was very interesting because we were all in Peru during a very historical period when the elections focused on two candidates, a strong military man believed to take on after Chavez, or the first woman to run for President, whose father rid the country of terrorism but was in jail for countless acts of corruption and violations to human rights. A couple of other administrators took the stage and thanked Monica afterward, presenting her and Northeastern with an alpaca blanket which was so warm and soft.
Then the school band began to play music and FAP students approached our group and grabbed random people to dance with. I thought I was safe until Alejandro, one of the boys I had gotten close with at the school, came and asked me to dance. He assured me he wasn’t good which was a relief because when it comes to anything salsa or Spanish dance related, I completely lose any rhythm I might have had and lose complete coordination in my feet. However, it was a lot of fun considering the majority of our group was up and just fooling around on the dance floor. We made circles and cha-cha lines until it was time to settle down and watch some presentations that the kids prepared for us. Our friend from FAP, Karla, came out in a very unique outfit with a group and danced a Peruvian dance, although I don’t know the exact name of it. All I know is that they were very good and it was exciting to watch a live cultural show staged by only 16 year olds.
Once the dance was over, FAP unveiled to us a feast buffet of all the foods they thought we should try before we left Lima. Since everyone was starving, we all rushed to the table and filled our plates as best we could. The foods ranged from lomo soltado, yuka, rice pudding (which is exceptional here in Peru), lots of other meats and ceviche. It was my first time trying ceviche and I absolutely loved it. I can’t even believe I hadn’t tried it earlier considering all the fuss and attention it was getting. Ceviche is a traditional dish in Lima with raw fish cooked in a lemon juice. After the feast, I was really full and satisfied that I got to try pretty much every dish that represented their culture.
We had some time afterwards to say our goodbyes and take a few pictures. A couple of people from our group went up to give a special thank you to the students and I specifically remember Andres’ saying, “I fell in love with your country” which really hit the spot considering I felt this way, too. On the cab ride home, Tess, Karlayne, and I were feeling really down since we realized the ceremony marked our last few days in Lima. We had all fallen in love with Lima, our host families, the district of Miraflores. We wanted more time to go out and explore the sites and hang out with our parents.
We all got home and decided that although we were feeling a little upset, we would go out and live up the night live in Lima to our advantage. The majority of our group met at Larcomar but the discotecas there cost 50 soles. We decided on a salsa club that some of us had already been to which was great because we knew what we were getting into. We went to what I think was the top floor VIP section and ordered a few drinks. This guy was very into Kim and spent the whole night serenading her. It was hilarious, actually, considering he was so persistent and Kim was trying her very best to get away. Karlayne and I decided it was time for another sangria night and downed a whole pitcher together in about 5 minutes. At that point we were feeling good and danced a little and met some new people. Actually, I spent a lot of time talking to this guy who took classes at El Sol, too, and he said he would probably see us around during the free salsa dancing lessons or our goodbye party the school was throwing for us.
Since the “Ley Seca” was in play, or the dry law, the club stopped serving alcohol at 11:30pm and actually shut down around 12. We all headed home, and Karlayne and I shared a cab to save money and for safety reasons. It was funny because the first cab we took actually broke down in the middle of the street and so we were forced to take another cab. Our cab driver was really nice and after I got dropped off, he taught Karlayne some Quechua words. I was so tired I nearly passed out without first hearing from Karlayne that she got back okay. Once I knew she was alive I just knocked out, happy that the next day was our last day at El Sol and that the weekend was only a few hours away.
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