¡Cumple!

 Vicky and Lucky sing me a midnight Happy Birthday.

 ¡Tono! Lucho, Diana, Ytarina, Bettzabe, me, Daniel and Carla at El Son Cubano.

 Municipal friends Diego and Carla.

Quiroz sisters.

Missing Photos

Well, it was bound to happen. All photos from December 22, 2011 to January 15, 2012 are missing! There may be an update if they show up, but don't hold your breath. You'll just have to imagine New Year's fireworks on the coast...

...the only photo that's popped up is this gem of Ytarina and Lucho on New Year's that I sent her on Facebook.

Nacimiento

 Every year in the Municipality, there's a competition between the offices of who can do the best nativity scene. Since we've been working with RAF a lot, we got him to beautify the City Services waiting room.

 Mary and Joseph.

 Arnold Millet, Chief of City Services, analyzes Raf's work.

 Everyone's involved!

 Extra grass from Areas Verdes, in charge of Lima's green spaces, was even used.

 Carlos Benites spent hours measuring these pyramidal shapes to make a star.

 So beautiful.

 The gals, MariLu, Beatriz and Evelyn.

Finally product. Surprisingly enough, we didn't win! A much more traditional nativity scene did.

RAF Paints

  The Metropolitan Municipality of Lima's City Service sector, under the mayor Susana Villarán, has begun placing murals in unsanitary points of the city center as a beautification initiative. Here's our first intervention with grafitero, RAF, on a street where overconsumption of alcohol, prostitution, unruly garbage disposal and public urination were some of the main issues.

1. RAF took only a few days to complete this mural...

 2. The archangel is meant to inspire a sense of dignity and strength, crushing a demon with his left foot. The Catholic/Action Comic imagery has seemed to demand respect in this neighborhood. Finito!

 3. A happy neighbor commits to making sure the spot stays clean. It's right around the corner from the beautiful, bright white San Martín square, on Contumazá.

Municipal workers prep the wall of a quinta on Miró Quesada street in the historic Barrios Altos neighborhood. Many quintas were once large plantations on the outskirts of the city center that have now become shared housing. After a few too many wars, economic recessions and the terrorism of the 1980's, this neighborhood has lost its grandeur and has now become one of the most dangerous and neglected parts of Lima. But as it's only a few minutes from Lima's main square, part of UNESCO's World Heritage site, and has a rich criollo music history, Barrios Altos remains a powerful part of Lima's identity and has finally begun to get attention from its municipality. Here we begin our second intervention.

 ¡Gato !

Before... (the sidewalk was also repaired as part of the intervention).

 After.

 San Martín de Porres is a prominent AfroPeruvian saint in Lima. Since the quinta is named after him, the neighbors thought it appropriate, and inspiring, to have his portrait on their façade where garbage accumulated.

 Young residents at the Quinta San Martín admire RAF's piece.

After a few weeks, the Relima container placed across the street was being used instead of the sidewalk.

Tuna

 Tuna, known in English as prickly pear.

Morning 248

Ricardo's Confirmation

 Tío Daniel at Ricardo's confirmation in Pueblo Libre.

 Proud mamá, Kathya.

Tío Ronald.

 Ricardito.

 Vicky.