17 Again

17 Again….

I am not sure if any of you actually saw the movie “17 Again”….well somehow Jorge and I ended up seeing it here in Iquitos. Random, I know. Not to spoil the thrilling plot for anybody, but basically this 40-something guy gets to go back in time and relive his life as a 17 year old. Ironically about a week after we saw the movie I encountered a few events that made me feel 17 all over again.

A friend invited us to an event at the local “discotec” which was a fundraiser for the Language Center at the local University. The event was to raise scholarship money for English students at the University through a mock version of a Miss Universe/Mr. Universe Pageant. All of the contestants ranged in age from about 15-17. The whole event was in English and at times I found myself to be the only one laughing at the jokes made by the MC’s, because most of the audience was under the age of 15 and didn’t understand English. So I was the weirdo laughing out loud all by myself and singing along to all of the English songs that nobody knew the lyrics to.





After introductions were made there was a musical number performed by the students. It was pretty awesome and reminded me of a Spanish version of High School Musical. I loved it. Then of course there was the evening gown portion of the evening, followed by a Question and Answer portion. They were asked questions like “What do you think defines the Amazonic Woman” or “What is the best regional dish that represents the people of Iquitos?”





Then of course the winners were crowned and given all kinds of prizes, including scholarships for a year of classes. Afterwards they opened up the dance floor. Jorge and I were excited to take advantage of a non-crowded discotec (that hardly ever happens, usually there is barely any breathing room). It didn’t take us long to realize that we were quite a spectacle. Not only was I the only blonde, but we realized we were about 10 years older than everybody else. Haha. We were like the awkward chaperones that actually dance at the high school dance….but nonetheless we really enjoyed ourselves.



The next day I attended a birthday party which I was invited to by the mother of one of my students. Her older daughter was turning 18 and was celebrating the event at their house. So I was told the party started at 9…so I showed up at 10:30…and I was still way too early. (I gotta get a better grip on Peruvian party time). But not too worry because as soon as I walked in I was given a number of things to do. First I fixed the family video camera, then I futzed around with the stereo pretending that I knew how to fix it, then I became the videographer, and then I sat with the aunts and uncles and blew up balloons. I loved it.



The guests began to arrive and soon there was a patio full of high school students awkwardly standing around looking at each other. The girls would squeal from time to time and look at the pictures on their digital cameras, and the boys would look down at their shoes or play with their cell phones. Made me feel like I was in the States. The best part was watching all of this from the sidelines, again like an old chaperone. I sat with my student’s mother and contemplated whether or not we should go get the dance floor started. We decided not to and ate a lot of food instead. Oh, to be 17 again…. I feel old, but somehow happy to not be 17 anymore.