New student and Wedding

Michael often goes with Rocio to her Food Industry classes. The teachers don't mind and the other students really like him there I think.I don't really know what they get up to there as I'm never with them but the teacher has said Michael is like a new student.





The other big event recently was cousin Luis' wedding to Fortu (Fortunata?). Here he is with his new bride
You can see my Uncle Adam's orchestra in the background, the one that played at my wedding. They were only one of the two orchestras playing for the event.



They hired a huge space for the party which looks quite empty here as all the guests were lined up around the edges. Rocio, Bob and I went along and despite me suffering from more and more tooth ache and Bob getting heat stroke and having to go home early I think we had a fine time. After all the formal wlatzing and the amazing present giving ceremony (So much furniture being danced around the arena, twice, before being presented to the waiting couple.) they go into the seriuous drinking and dancing. The event turned into something like a rock concert except with the two orchestras providing the music, sometimes with a singer. There was a sea of broken glass on the floor from many many broken beer bottles, a huge crowd of people, many more than had been at the formal waltzing.



Unfortunately Rocio's camera phone went flat, a constant problem these days, so I didn't get many photos or videos. I am really sorry I didn't video the young girl, maybe 10 years old who sang with the orchestra backing her in front of the crowd on the huge stage. She was wonderful and very confident.
We went to a neighbours house for the after party where there was more beer drinking and coca leaf chewing. I only took part in the chewing. I've chewed coca a few times her in Peru but it's not really for me. This time though with my tooth ache getting much worse I was chewing for medicinal purposes, honest. If you chew coca with something called jipto (Might be the wrong spelling I've never seen it written) then your lips can go a bit numb. So I was putting the chewed leaves on my sore tooth, which worked very well, better than the pain killers I had been taking all day. I still can't say I noticed any stimulant effect though, coffee is a much stronger drug.
Michael was having a great time. We were all dancing Santiago, the next of the yearly round of traditional festivals and music and dance which will start on Michael's birthday in July. Michael was in my arms bouncing and punching the air and "huapiendo" or perhaps in English, Whooping, just as you are supposed to do.



He danced and sang and danced and sang and suddenly fell asleep. Nothing disturbed him then until we had already gone home.



It think Michael already has a strong grasp of Peruvian culture.