Quinceañera

Today is the fiesta for Vanessa's 15th birthday. Vanessa lives at 77 Cruz Verde, one of Lorena's five daughters. Lorena and Charlie manage a few properties in this area, quaint turn of the century properties renovated for rental (mostly by foreigners). Our house hosts two Americans (Qiana, an English teacher and myself), one French woman (Aurore), one German woman and one Mexican man. Oh and just arrived from Spain is Elisa, a Master's student in International Studies at UDG.

The five daughters are not currently in school but start on Monday. We took a trip to Santa Cruz, Lorena's hometown, the other day to order uniforms with Lorena's seamstress aunt. And I got to meet most her family! Since I arrived, the girls have been pretty happy to wake up late in the morning, lay around and chat, and help their mom clean later on. But they are sweet and talk to me and laugh with me. It was Vanessa's bday a while ago, so Qiana and I gifted her a manicure a few days ago (and took her to the salon de belleza). I am not sure I'll offer any other presents, but will probably help out with the preparations.

It's customary for Mexican families to really do it up for this bday (sorta like the sweet sixteen in the US, a coming out party). When our Fulbright group visited the Basilica de la Virgen de Guadalupe in Mexico City, for example, we witnessed what seemed to me to be an extravagent quinceneara with the girl dressed in this beautiful, flowing royal blue taffeta dress. I remember that Julia Alvarez wrote a book about this rite for girls in the US, and I really need to read more about it.


Lorena told me she waited to hold the party until tonight because I was out of town in Atolinga. I don't know if that's the real reason. She also told me her family doesn't have enough money to do it in style (I've heard it is common for families to spent $10,000 in the US), so they are renting a juke box and setting up tables and chairs for a meal (of course a very meaty meal of arrachera, adobado, etc). This seems pretty cool to me!