Lima: FAP & Mantiquilla de Maní

I caved.  S./ 15 later and I'm so glad, I will forever be traveling with peanut butter from now on.

Today we had El Sol as usual and after headed to FAP for our very last day.  Instead of teaching I was lucky enough to get to see a school dance class where the advanced dancers performed their routine for us.  It was amazing to see their large group of 15+ perform on one of the few sunny days here in Lima.  After watching both groups perform they asked us the innocent question, "Do you like to dance?" and we were ushered out to the middle of the floor.  Kim, Illana, Andrew and I picked up the moves fast enough, but with limited direction I had to rely on copying the boy in front of me.

The speed that the girls danced with couldn't be matched, but I did manage to do the toe-drag-stomp step that we were taught.  After we went to the conference room for our last lecture on present day politics in Peru.  During the talk the students set up for our end of the visit fiesta and soon the festivities started.

First was a musical performance from the younger kids who lovingly strummed guitars and played their recorders.  Spontaneous dancing erupted and everyone was pulled out on the floor by the FAP students for a group dance.  A speech by students and faculty came next where they presented us with a huge alpaca wall hanging.  Next out came the dancers we had watched in their gym classes an hour before.  Elegantly dressed in blue outfits with ridiculous shoulder pads the boys and girls stomped their way through an amazing performance.  

Traditional foods finished off the fiesta as we got small cookbooks with foods from the Coast and Jungle.  More pictures followed and conversation between NU and FAP students before we left for home.

Lessons Learned:

1. 6:45pm is NOT the time to shop at the grocery store, lines were to the middle of the store and we got kicked out of the Preferred Customers line despite our best I-don't-speak-Spanish attempts.
2. Photo ID and # is required for credit card purchases here.  I am doubting they'll accept my temporary license so I guess if I want to use one I'll have to carry my passport...
3. Store brand PB doesn't disappoint!  Thank goodness or I would have been so sad after this long search.