Shocking our own parents, our little family survived our first year of parenthood: just one fractured skull and one crushed hand to show for it-- hardly any scarring. This is obviously cause for celebration, so I made some sangria, we borrowed a grill, and invited over everyone we know within strolling distance.
We celebrated Hope's first birthday on Reyes (or Three Kings Day) which is a big deal in Mexico. It is the equivalent of Christmas Day in the States. Kids wake up early and rush to see what presents the Kings have brought them. Everyone eats a ring-shaped cake called a Rosca de Reyes that has a small baby statue cooked inside it. If you get the piece with the baby, you have to buy tamales for the next party. If you are a new
one-year-old, you try to avoid the baby piece because you don't have any money to buy tamales and because it is a choking hazard.
The fear-mongering US state department has just listed the Mexican state of Guerrero, where kids are eating cake and opening presents, as one of the world's most dangerous destinations. My mom says we should exercise caution. She doesn't realize that we are horrible at caution. We hurt ourselves riding bikes and boats on a regular basis. But even the state Mexico named "warrior" has less gun violence than most US cities, so we will try to keep her grandchild alive for another year. Maybe the Reyes will give her a helmet.
We celebrated Hope's first birthday on Reyes (or Three Kings Day) which is a big deal in Mexico. It is the equivalent of Christmas Day in the States. Kids wake up early and rush to see what presents the Kings have brought them. Everyone eats a ring-shaped cake called a Rosca de Reyes that has a small baby statue cooked inside it. If you get the piece with the baby, you have to buy tamales for the next party. If you are a new one-year-old, you try to avoid the baby piece because you don't have any money to buy tamales and because it is a choking hazard.
The fear-mongering US state department has just listed the Mexican state of Guerrero, where kids are eating cake and opening presents, as one of the world's most dangerous destinations. My mom says we should exercise caution. She doesn't realize that we are horrible at caution. We hurt ourselves riding bikes and boats on a regular basis. But even the state Mexico named "warrior" has less gun violence than most US cities, so we will try to keep her grandchild alive for another year. Maybe the Reyes will give her a helmet.
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