Panama Perm: Sweet Sixteen...Fifteen...What?

Sweet ~~Sixteen~~...Fifteen...What?

Here in Panama, for some unknown reason (I've asked everyone) they celebrate fifteenth birthdays. It's their 'Super Sweet Sixteen'.

In the states you can drive a car, here girls get a ring for their fifteenth birthday.
And it's only for girls!

This weekend I was invited to my first fifteenth birthday party. EXCITED!

Alejandra, one of the girls I teach English to, turned 15 on Sunday and so the party was Saturday night. I was intrigued, this was an offer I couldn't refuse!

Friday before the party I got the best invite ever, hand delivered from across the road with a 'plus one' for my 'compañea' (Siobhan).

She likes to surf too :)

Saturday night came and we got a lift to the restaurant with Alejandra's family. We were told that usually families can spend $2,000 on the 15th Birthday but they were keeping it small- a few close friends and the mother's side of the family (still about 40 people were there I think).

We arrived to Don Luis restaurant and chat with Ajejandra's friends and family. Before there was any sign of food there were a billion speeches- her sister, mother, father and Goddparents all spoke and her cousin sung her a song that I think she'd written herself. It was so cute! They even had a video of pictures from Alejandra's first birthday til now! I was particularly delighted too- I got a special mention in the mammy's speech! I had to stand up so everyone could see me as I was welcomed to Panama and to the del Carmen family. I felt so loved!

It felt very formal but they're all such good public speakers!

But when half eight came and there was still no sign of food - apart from cheetos (they all eat cheetos here)- I was beginning to think maybe I'd got it wrong and there was no dinner at all...and Shivs and I were huuuungrrrry!

Food arrived when the speeches were finished though. Yay! This being one of the few meals I've had out now, I'm pretty sure people don't come to Panama for the cuisine. It's just a little boring. Don't get me wrong, the birthday dinner was tasty but it just wasn't anything special.

Birthday Dins

Dessert was some sort of cake too, not that exciting either...
But we did get some Birthday champagne so that was fancy!

And the party afterwards was so fun, I just wished I hadn't worn a dress so I could join in the action!
The boys and girls played Twister and played with hoola hoops (I could ~~do that,~~ attempt that) and played Just Dance (I chose not to do that). It was gas though, there's no way I could picture 15 year old girls and boys in Ireland playing like together that, they'd be too cool!

They don't play it like we play it either!

We stayed til after ten, when the crowed dwindled, hoping they'd cut the AMAZING cake, but no such luck!

How incredible is this?

Buuuut when I arrived to give my English class Monday she had two slices of cake wrapped up for me to take home, deeeelighted! It was yummy! The filling was like a toffee flavour and the icing was crackly, how I don't know, but since sweet things are few and far between here Shivs and I made sure to enjoy it!

And finally, Alejandra gave me one of the little figurine decorations her auntie made her as a keepsake, it's adorable, I'll just have to make sure I wrap it up well for coming home!