¿Como se dice AWKWARD?

As likely all learners of Spanish (aka Castellano in Perú) know, there is no good translation for the English word "awkward," which is unfortunate because, as likely all learners of Spanish who happen to be living in a Spanish-speaking country also know, the word "awkward" comes to mind quite often. Last night was certainly a prime example. As part of Pueblo Nuevo's Semana de la Juventud (Youth Week), my local Comisión de Jóvenes (Youth Commission) hosted a Baile Juvenil (Youth Dance) to provide a safe, fun environment for the local youth to break it down. I had been helping the Youth Commission all week with various events they had prepared all over town, so of course I was invited to partake in the baile.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I freaking love to dance. However, apparently when you put me in a large auditorium full of Peruvian youths getting down to a mix of largely unfamiliar types of music, I respond by sitting in a chair all night feeling horribly, that's right, AWKWARD!!! To make matters worse, my community partners from the Youth Commission felt the need to repeatedly pressure me to dance with the local Miss Simpatía who is of a questionable age and to whom I had said earlier in the night in Castellano "You're going to have holes in your head," when she informed me that her plastic crown hurt because it was digging into her head.

So, yeah. Awkward.

Eventually, I ended up dancing with several members of the Youth Commission and said Miss Elegancia, and managed to save some face with my dance moves, however restricted they may have been.

But, aside from the moments of awkwardness, which are to be expected in a new culture when learning a new language, I’ve been really enjoying my time here. I went to meet the alcalde (mayor) last week and within a few minutes of our meeting, he introduced me to the Youth Commission, a group of hip, motivated 20 somethings who subsequently invited me to their meeting that night to discuss plans for the Semana de la Juventud. They had already planned a lengthy schedule of events for the week and were hashing out the details for each day. They were extremely ingratiating and were happy to have another helping hand in the process. I quickly threw my two cents into the mix and made sure to take part in every planned event I could. Some of the highlights of the week included:

-a fashion show to raise money for cancer treatment

-a Miss y Mister (pronounced “meester”) Juventud 2011 contest

-a graffiti contest where local groups of youth spray-painted murals with positive messages on the walls of the soccer stadium in town (very cool!)

-a party for the Jóvenes con Capacidades Diferentes in which yours truly spent a good chunk of the time out on the dance floor with the local special needs youth (easily the highlight of my week, if not my life)

-a Congreso Juvenil (Youth Congress) in which I did a two hour dinamica teaching youth how to say “no” if their partner wants them to have sex and they’re not ready

-a youth mass in the local church, which I found out is extremely beautiful inside

-and last but not least, the aforementioned Baile de Awkward

Needless to say, getting hooked up with this commission has been a godsend and a great resource for getting to know my community better. Everyone on the commission is extremely cool and I constantly have to remind myself to speak Castellano with them because I feel so comfortable around them I often find myself wanting to speak English. Here's some shots of the garffiti contest:

I’m trying to get a little more regular with the blog posts, like weekly if I can, so thanks to everyone for hanging in there.

As a prize for all of my loyal and patient readers, here’s a ridiculous amount of cute. I present to you, Beri Luz (pronounced like "Betty Looz,") my adorable host niece. Chau all!