Quinceañera

In just one week's time, we'll be celebrating a wedding here in Alhaurin. Joseph and Abbey get married next Monday, and they recently gave us the exciting news that they'll be committing the first year of their marriage to serving the leadership retreat centre as cooks and caterers. We all know that preparing a wedding is a lot of work.... but I had an interesting cultural experience this past weekend that opened my eyes to the huge amount of work that is put into a totally different kind of celebration. My house was the venue for a quinceañera party. Wendy, the daughter of a Bolivian friend, turned fifteen recently, and a girl's fifteenth birthday is a big event in many Latin American countries. It's celebrated differently from any other birthday, as it marks the girl's transition from childhood to young womanhood.
From early morning on Saturday, half a dozen South American ladies worked all day to decorate our house with floral garlands and balloons, as well as preparing all the food and drink for the party itself. I was still feeling unwell with the shingles (which meant I shouldn't be around the girl's mother, who is pregnant) so I went to sleep at a friend's house and missed the actual party itself. However, just the preparations were quite a sight to see. The photos above show the birthday girl, Wendy (in the turquoise dress) and the girl in the little black number is our own Gabriela, who recently turned thirteen. How time flies! Gabriela had just turned ten when we started sharing the house together. In just a couple of years, it'll be time for her quinceañera too.