On our 15th day in Peru, we went through the usual routine of learning Spanish at El Sol and teaching English at FAP. After FAP, Natalie and I decided to stay near calle Benavides since it was already nearing 5 o’clock and the plan was to meet everyone at 6 for Parque de Agua. Everyone dispersed and went on home for dinner while we stayed in the vicinity because we didn’t care to pay for a taxi home and back. We walked over to Wong, apparently a large supermarket chain owned by Japanese Peruvians, and searched for snacks and things to have in between classes and at night. I ended up buying my fake mint oreo cookies and Natalie decided on a huge bottle of drinkable yogurt. (I would just like to say that I am still fascinated that here in Peru all dairy products do not have to be refrigerated and are usually kept at room temperature. Also, yogurt is a very common alternative to milk and it is common to find yogurt readily available for your cereal. Additionally, the cheese they have is weird because it doesn’t really melt. My host mom in Lima made a frijole soup with chunks of cheese that were perfectly intact even after all the steam and boiling. Keep in mind that I’m merely observing the differences in food and not complaining. I actually think the food in Lima was quite delicious and a lot fresher than back in the states.)
Anyway, we met everyone in front of our school at 6pm. We got there and Alison, Amy, Tara, and a few others were already there. We decided to wait a few more minutes to see who else would show considering Peruvian time means 10-15 minutes past whatever time was decided on. To our surprise, Tess arrived with her host brother, Renzo. Then we all split into cabs and headed to the park to make sure we didn’t miss the water show that was happening at 7:15pm.
When we got to the park I was as giddy as a 10 year old girl. For those of you that know me well, you know that the combination of lights at night with anything drives me crazy. There were so many fountains with different designs, colors, and shapes that I couldn’t help running around trying to take pictures and videos of all of them. Additionally, there was a little train that went around the park for kids but no one was willing to pay the 2 soles with me to hop on. We made our way around the park, stopping for pictures and the occasionally “Oh my God, I wonder why we don’t have anything like this in the states.”
Around 7pm we decided to settle down and wait in front of the center fountain for the light show. At that point I was already in awe by the music and dancing fountains already on display; when the show started with lasers, music, and extra bright lights and animation, I was shocked. I posted a video of part of the light show on facebook and unfortunately you can hear my nerdy comments, “this is nuts,” and “oh my gosh, I’m in heaven.” I will admit it was very dorky of me but the entire show was amazing and not what I expected coming from a “third world country.” The animations added into the laser show such as the ballerina or couples dancing to traditional Peruvian music were simply fascinating. I loved that the whole experience was for pure entertainment and yet we still managed to capture the culture of Peru through music and dance.
Needless to say I went home that night really excited to show my parents the video I had taken. James and William were in the kitchen when I came home and after finding out that they had never gone to the park, I excitedly pulled out my camera and gave them a glimpse of the show. Very determined, James promised William that once winter was over they would have a look for themselves. After that, I scrambled up to my room and got ready for bed. Knowing that the uploading process takes forever on facebook, especially for videos, I left my computer on all night to make sure every one of my friends had the chance to see what I had. If you’re reading this and still haven’t seen the video, here’s the link:
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