Monday, September 24, 2012

we danced, we laughed. we ate. (despedida part 2)

As preparations started, I met with a woman in town to discuss the food at the party. I wanted to hire her and a couple friends to do all the cooking. She was the wife of one of my friends, but I hardly knew her, so I asked her how much she would charge. At a somewhat steep-seeming cost, we agreed and went about making the shopping list.

It was clear when making the list that she did not have a lot of experience throwing big parties. Some of the things on her list would be way too few, others, like 40 kilos of potatoes seemed pretty steep.

So I took the list to Mama Luisa, who I knew knew how to throw a party. She looked at the list and laughed and asked if I had made it alone. I explained I made it with the woman cooking for the party. Mama Luisa just looked at me blankly. Why had I hired someone to cook? Of course Mama Luisa and my other friends would be doing the cooking. I explained that I did not want any of my guests stressing about preparing the food, and that I wanted to be able to enjoy the party. Mozambican party preparation can often start at 5 the day of the event, and I wanted nothing to do with that. I wanted to blow up balloons and string them in my trees.

Mama Luisa called in Pastor Ricardo and explained what happened. He then called in a few neighbors. Soon, it was a full fledged intervention. They group decided that I was no longer the Dona (in charge) of my party, but just the coordinator of its events. They were taking charge and I had to agree. They called the lady I had spoken with and told her it was wrong to try to charge me. They organized a plan and agreed to meet the day before to make the pig's marinade and made me a good list for my shopping.

I set about making a condom piñata (made of a condom, painted to look like an oblong rainbow colored globe) and made a grab bag for guests to have a party favor. I was determined to add some American party flare.

The days before the party were busy. I had to pick up firewood from one lady and bring chairs from the Pastor's house. I helped slaughter a pig. (That in itself was a huge ordeal including but not limited to: a dog attack, painful squeals on the part of said pig, and my invitation to a usually men's only ritual of the first bites). I wanted a new dress, so I had to sit patiently as my dress lady took her time chatting with her friends while finishing my hem. I went to sleep the night before the party worried that it would pour, that no one would come, and that the rice was totally burnt.

Saturday, the day of the event, I woke up early and squeezed in a quick run before 6 when Melita was diligently on time and already getting the fire started. I joined her and started peeling the 20 kilos of potatoes. As my other friends arrived to help with the cooking we were all given one pot to man. Obviously I do not know how to cook anything right, so I was given dish duty (only after having first been given salad duty and Celeste decided I was cutting the lettuce too small). I washed dishes and set the table. Then I put up balloons in the trees and hung up the piñata. It was starting to look like a party.

Though I had told people to arrive around noon, 12 o'clock rolled around and I was still sneaking tastes of the food as we finished getting everything ready. The energy came back on around 12:30, so we went to set up the speakers I had borrowed for the event. It did not take long to realize we were missing a few cords and a DVD player to actually have music, so we divided up the errands and I sat and started to receive guests.

Eventually we got the music going and Celeste started the party off with a speech and then put me on the spot to make another. Then everyone took a turn talking about how I had truly become a Manjacaziana. Though it was hard to hear people making speeches about me leaving, it was really wonderful to have everyone together.

After a huge lunch, which everyone loved – especially the “festa rice,” rice with carrots and green peppers, and a number of other of my favorite dishes that people had brought for the pot luck (I think there was a bit of a competition to see which dish I would serve the most from, so I ended up eating a lot so as not to seem like I preferred one over the other. The ladies helping me cook knew I was partial to their special dish, which I told them to please set aside an extra bowl for me to keep this week – tihove is made from corn and peanuts and is just wonderful), we set in for the games.

I got to spin all the kids around for the piñata, and with 9 year old Aderito I regretted spinning them according to ages-and even more doing the piñata after lunch. Eventually it was broken and everyone ran at he loot. Sylvester, I am proud to say, got two full pockets worth and gladly shared a tootsie roll with me.

Then one of the guests led a fierce game of musical chairs. It got a little ugly there in the middle, but it was so fun to see everyone, kids and adults alike, laughing so much.

Then I did the grab back. A little fighting over the kids who got crayons versus those who got the water guns, but I think just cause it was so hot that day and the water guns were awesome. Irma Alice, the head nun, got the soccer ball which she thought was ironic and I found to be just perfect as I know she will share it well.

After a procession of capulanas and a little fashion show between myself and Emilia, the party evolved into a private discotheque with Mama Isaura showing off moves I didn't know could come from such a quiet, polite, and church-going woman. Eventually, Linda, the new volunteer in Manjacaze, and I were the only two left belting out to “Love is a Battlefield” with ladle microphones.

All in all, the party achieved exactly what I had hoped. We laughed, we danced, and we ate.

It is very bittersweet leaving, and I am in many ways not yet ready. But I can say that a threw a pretty awesome going away party, and I know thinking about it will make people, including myself, smile for a while. Especially when I think of Mama Isaura bustin' a serious move.

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