Every month at Maximo, there's a party for the graduates of the TEFL course. This was all good fun back in December when my class graduated, but this party has taken on new meaning now that I'm in my 3rd month of teaching (aka, my 4th TEFL party). It just so happens to fall right before payday, meaning everyone is broke as a joke. Conveniently, the party comes equipped with free food and an open bar. For the teachers, this is a jackpot. We don't have to worry about dinner or drinks for a night! Since it's a monthly event, it kind of loses its luster after the first or second one. The group of teachers we have right now (which changes almost monthly) is a really solid, awesome, fun group of people and my friend Maddy decided to spice things up a bit and suggested that we go with a theme for the party. We took a vote, and 80's/Rock won. Keep in mind, this party is for the entire staff of Maximo Nivel (teachers, security, all 3-4 offices, etc) as well as volunteers, some students, and the TEFL graduates. At the very least, 100-150 people show up. Who knew about this theme? No more than 15-20 of us teachers. Nonetheless, we went big. I was able to scrounge up an outfit by pairing my jean shorts & tights with a leather jacket and boots. Luckily, Maddy had a tank top to go perfectly, and although I tried to go with the big hair that was in style in that decade, I ended up wearing a shiny pink fedora by the time we walked out the door. 80's or not, it looked hilarious. As we got ready at the other girls' house, everyone was looking more and more fabulous. Maddy in her pink tutu-like skirt and denim jacket, Shoshana with her afro, other girls with leggings and side ponytails. What no one was ready for was the transformation that was happening next door, where the 3 boys had gone with our friend Kathleen to invade her wardrobe. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could prepare anybody to walk into a house and see this:
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| Or this.... |
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| And especially not this... |
Needless to say, we had some good laughs. Actually, I'm pretty sure I cried a little bit. My friends from college can throw a mean theme party, but this was just....I honestly have no words. I'm still laughing as I look at those pictures right now. The guy in the floral pants and green blazer? That's my roommate.
Arriving to the party where no one else was in theme was entertaining to say the least. Our bosses (and some of our students) got a kick out of it. In true fashion of anyone I've ever been friends with, we left the second we got word that the booze had run out, and made our way to the clubs. I don't think I stopped laughing the entire night. Sunday was spend extremely exhausted, but happy as a clam and still laughing from the night before...especially when everyone showed up for family dinner at our place with stories and pictures.
Here are some pictures of the girls and the whole group, although they really don't compare to the boys.
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| Please note the tutu |
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| Fab hair |
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| The whole crew |
