My first Quinceanera

Believe it or not, I did not have to go to Mexico to attend my first Quinceanera. In fact, I went to one when I was in the United States of America. One of my really good friends is Mexican and she turned fifteen while I was on exchange so she invited me to her birthday party. I knew that it was a big deal but I did not know how big it was going to be.

She lives far from our school. I believe her place is actually closer to Denver than it is to Greeley. Because of that, I needed a ride to the party, so I eventually went with our Spanish teacher, who was also invited. Her husband and her son also came along. As we arrived at the place I could not fail to notice that the parking lot was full, but I did not say a word, I just needed to find my friend so I could tell her Happy Birthday in person. Well, as soon as I walked in I saw a huge crowd of people talking and filling up the entire place. I tried to get out of the way and find my friend, which I eventually did. She was wearing a beautiful dress and I could see that she was very excited about the party. I bet it felt good to have all the people there to celebrate her Quinceanera. It is a very important celebration in Mexico. A girl is considered a woman as soon as she turns fifteen, so during the celebration she changes her tennis shoes for high heels or woman shoes, as you want to call them. I will not go into details because I do not know much more, I just know that it was important for her to celebrate that and I am pleased that she asked me to be a part of it.

Throughout the night everyone danced and had access to a huge buffet. The food was good and the atmosphere was really happy. It was also one of the few times I had to dress up so I will always remember this day. It is crazy to think that my friend will turn eighteen in two months, time is really flying.

- Cristian

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