Quinceañera

Imagine a black tie wedding reception for 200 people and instead of it being a wedding, it's a birthday party for a girl turning 15, where only 50 of the people are adults. A club mimicking Incan ruins was rented out. Little booth type sitting areas were backed with fake rock ruins, scattered around the whole club. One bar was in the middle and the other was tucked in a corner. Disco balls twisting with all different colors dancing on the floors and walls. Pop music played with pods of kids placed all around. Throughout most of the place, boys are on one side of the dance floor and girls are on the other side. Some small groups are mixed but mostly they are in groups of their own kind.

Compared to everyone around us, we looked like school teachers (sorry, I don't have a picture to show...Boris, Christina's friend, has them). Boys wore suits or tuxedos. Girls wore formal dresses, most of them strapless with elegant, intricate designs and heels. Most, if not all, had their hair professionally done.

Once Candy, the birthday girl who is Boris' niece, arrived, the dance floor was cleared and the music stopped. Candy's parents walked onto the dance floor and then 15 of Candy's girlfriends, wearing black cocktail dresses, walked in with candles. Once Candy arrived, her father gave a speech and then her best friend made a speech and then Candy, herself made a speech. She had a dance with her father, then one with her date and an interesting event occurred... Candy changed part of her dress and danced a choreographed dance for everyone and then she did another one with her friends. Once her dance was over, the party started.

Food was carried around on plates, while everyone danced. Boris' family moved to a more private part of the club where they had their own little dance floor and area to sit.

It was interesting to see the type of party thrown, the money and class to do so, and the dichotomy of children dressed as adults. It was like nothing else I've ever experienced. It was definitely a perfect example of wanting to experience a culture its dynamic characteristics, not just its tourist attractions.