The New Year

My New Year in Perú was definitely very different from my normal New Year in the U.S. In the U.S. my family will maybe set off some fireworks (that is if my family stays up). However here in Perú, there is no way that we would pass up the opportunity to celebrate.

The evening started after I had gotten changed and ready for my later plans the evening. Perú has many traditions for New Years. One is to receive new pairs of underwear for the year. You could receive just one pair of underwear, or you could receive three (in the colors red, yellow, and green). The yellow represents luck, the red represents love, and the green represents wealth. Personally, I received two pairs of yellow underwear (one from my host mom, the other from my host aunt). Another popular tradition in Perú is to eat 12 grapes at midnight, to represent luck in every month. While I did partake in this tradition as well, I ate my grapes before midnight, as I went out with friends before midnight/into the night to celebrate some more. While a few other traditions exist (burning dolls wearing old clothing), my family only partook in these few. We also decorated the house with yellow balloons, ribbons, and garland. My host family and I all sat down for a dinner, before we went around toasting and making speeches (a normal occurrence in Perú).

As for the New Year/what I would like out of 2018, I can only hope that my year abroad continues to be amazing and that my arrival back home/adjusting isn't too hard. I hope that my Spanish continues to improve and that my English can somehow be recovered (its gotten pretty bad). I hope that going back to the U.S. I am not only able to remember everything that Perú has taught me, but am able to spread the knowledge I have gained.

As for a little reflexion back on 2017, I can honestly say the end of the year and the summer were some of the best months of my life. While the beginning of the year definitely had some struggles, the end of my year made it all worth it. Being able to move to another country for 11 months has made me a stronger person, and in some ways a smarter one (just don't ask me about math). I have always been hard on myself and had very high expectations, but I can honestly say that my Spanish has improved. It is no way close to where I want it to be, but I can't pretend that it hasn't improved. When I arrived I could say pretty much nothing and understood nothing. Now I can explain some basics, have a conversation, and understand some of a sentence (sometimes all!).

And of course, one last resolution, I'M GOING TO DO MY BEST AND BLOG MORE!

I hope everyone had a happy New Year!