A Birthday Party Extravaganza

I feel so fortunate to have family closeby in Lima because it has made meeting people and socializing so much easier.  Through Valerie Eli and I have already attended 2 birthday parties in Lima of  children whose parents are part of the Jewish community here.  The "community," as it is called, is pretty tight and families really make an effort to get together, celebrate events with each other, and part of this is inviting many from the community to birthday parties.  I quickly learned that in Peru, children's birthdays are a really big deal.  Of course in the US we're used to parties for kids' birthdays that include some balloons, a cake, maybe a clown or some other form of entertainment but here in Peru, they are on another level.  Usually it includes the rental of a play space, a full scale show for entertainment, and catered food as well a tiered fondant decorated birthday cake! This one had an amazing array of dulces (or sweets) for both children and adults.  I had to try to keep Eli's hands off the tables because as soon as he realized it was all up for grabs and at his height, he got pretty excited! It's been great for both Eli and I to attend these parties though because he's gotten great play time in with kids his age and I've gotten to meet a lot of parents from the Jewish community.  It's even to the point that I am seeing the same people multiple time at events so I already feel like my network is growing! Everyone has been so warm and does their best with their English or sometimes I try my Spanish.  I've gotten acquainted with some lovely Israelis, Costa Ricans, and other foreigners who also moved to Lima as expats so they've shared their tips on how to adjust to life here.

Here are some shots of the party and Eli's pure joy at being there!