Through the Past

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was 7:00pm. Fall was beginning to emerge. The weather wasn't too bad. It had a fresh breeze that wasn't too cold, but just the proper temperature that made you enjoy the night from the scorching mornings. The room was filled with red heart shaped balloons throughout all the walls. As guests walked into the room, a crowd of people young and old would be dancing uncontrollably with each other as the band played salasa, so loud that I could barely hear myself talking. And there in the front and center of the room, was a birthday cake, dedicated to me.

There is not a time where I don't miss Peru. I visit about every fice years, so when I go there I take every advantage of every moment I have with my family. I also love the freedom! Here in Chicago, I'm honestly limited to the places and how many times I can go out. I'm eighteen years old now, and my parents still don't understand what privileges I should recieve. But when I'm in Peru, I can do anything! I find it ironic how back home where it's safer and my parents known where places are I can't go out as much as in Peru, where it's a bit dangerous and the places are kind of sketchy to them. I think it's the fact that they trust my older cousins to watch over me, unlike where with my friends that they don't know so well. In Peru, there are several tourist sports to go to, but most of them about an hour flight is required, so cities such as Lambayeque and Chiclayo do just fine when I'm there. People there usually transport by Moto-taxi, which is a motorcycle pulling a little cart that is able to fit two to three people, a regular taxi, or by just walking. I remember this one time when we rode a Moto-taxi to the market and right in front of it was a man selling a little monkey that was the size of both your palms. In U.S. dollars it was about $20 and till this day I still wish I would of gotten it and left it with my cousins when I left. Another day I remember clearly is when my cousin took my sisters and I to the museum when all of a sudden a little boy just hands us this puppy. We've always wanted a dog so when the boy gave it to us, we took it not even thinking about the possible dieases the dog might have had. But at that moment we didn't care. Sadly after we got to the museum a group of girls took it. As least for those fifteen minutes I got to experiences how it felt to have a dog as my own.

The most memorable time was that September night when my family threw me a Quinceanera. When I say my family, I mean my WHOLE family. Present were my mom's seven sisters and their husbands (unfortunately her two brothers couldn't make it), friends of the family, and of course all of my cousins. But what was the most important to me was that I got to spend that special night with my grandparents dancing the traditional Quinceanera waltz. I appreciate every second that I spend with them because I get to see them every five years, and God only knows what could happen between that time. Life is a mystery throwing random surprises at you when you least expect it. Over here in Chicago, I have no family, only my dad's sister and her husband. So having my family hundreds of miles away from me and not being able to talk or see them has made me respect what I have and that I live a good life here in the United States. My Family is my treasure.