Day 380 House Warming 15/07/2012

So we were invited to a house warming celebration at our cousins place in the fields on the edge of Huancayo. The house isn't actually finished yet but by Peruvian tradition there must be a celebration for the new roof.
It was a wonderful warm afternoon. Now it's full summer in Huancayo there are always wonderful hot sunny afternoons. It hasn't rained for weeks now and everything is dust dry all the time.
Rocio, her Mum , Michael and I went first to town to buy presents. Lots of sweets and plastic toys and importantly flowers.
We met Uncle Adam on the way up the hill to the party, he was with the other orchestra members getting ready to play at the party. We tried to buy beer to take too but strangely couldn't find any in the local shops.
The party was very laid back by Peruvian standards, not much drinking and dancing, in fact only Rocio's Mum and I danced. There was much sitting around talking and watching the men put the concrete roof on the house.






Here is Michael with some of his many relatives who were there.



He had a wonderful time crawling around on the grass. He had a bit of learning to do as the grass was a bit steeply banked but he got around quite nicely in the end.
Uncle Adam's orchestra "Los Principes de Huancayo" (The Princes of Huancayo) played




My Uncle Adam is third from the left in picture but 1st 4th and 5th are also his brothers, my uncles. The clarinet player on the far right was very kind to me and lend me his clarinet for a while. I had never played one before but I managed to get a few notes out of it. Not that I need to take up another instrument when I'm still fighting the violin.


They gradually got more members in the orchestra as they turned up. At one point Uncle Adam received a phone call from and missing member and stood to "Call" him with some loud , but tuneful, blasts of saxophone.



There was meat and potatoes and salad to eat. As it was just getting dark the real ceremony started, with Rocio's Mum and the Madrina, or Godmother of the event.



She stood on the very new roof of the house with the flowers and gave a short speech before the all important throwing of the sweeties. We all fought to get as many sweeties and plastic toys as possible in the growing dark and then it was time to go home.
Here's Michael in the bus on the way home. He loves the buses and almost always makes friends wit the people around.