Eleanor Griffis, ACAP Magazine's columnist and author of the "can't live without" Lima Survival Kit tells us how it all began. She is also the publisher of the Peruvian Times.com

Yvonne Galloway is a frequent contributor to the ACAP. We invite you to add your thoughts as we want to include lots of general interest articles.

New Years Resolution. Oh no I hear you groan is that time of year already? At some point in our lives we will all make and probably break them, so why bother?

About a month ago, I was at one of my book club meetings and my friend, Yvonne, mentioned to me that she had a fantastic restaurant recommendation that she considered one of her "hidden treasures". She said she had been enjoying La 73

Your American & Canadian Association now has two staff members to serve members needs!

Cecilia Lale (shown on the left) is our new office manager and will handle day to day office and accounting activities.

The ACAP Magazine started as a newsletter to keep members informed about the association's activities. Over the years, spearheaded by the efforts of Alan LaRue, it has evolved into a combination of ACAP news and monthly themes of general interest from tourism, Peruvian food and interesting people to healthcare and even music and dance.

The American & Canadian Association of Peru is an organization dedicated to bringing together American and Canadian citizens in both social and business situations. Since 1917 ACAP has been building a legacy by strengthening the bonds of social activities and corporate partnerships here in Peru. Today we also have an associate membership to allow English speaking residents to join with us.

Our Signature: The Black and White Ball

On November 7 over 250 ACAP members and their guests danced the night away at the American Embassy residence. Ambassador Michael and Fatima McKinley graciously hosted the always entertaining Black and White Ball, one of our “don't miss' events. The chilly evening was warmed up by Guibel's Orchestra and our hearts were warmed by our ability to donate some of the proceeds to local charities.

As everyone knows, the office and staff that our American & Canadian Association maintains has a cost. Currently, membership dues only cover about 45% of those costs. Fortunately, ACAP has some wonderful corporate sponsors who are willing to make generous donations to keep ACAP functioning and growing.

In October, I attended the annual meeting of an organization known as the Association of American Clubs (AAC) in Bogota. The Association has been in existence for six years and now includes 37 clubs from around the world. The meeting of club presidents included two days of business plus an invitation to attend the Bogota Club's annual Black & White formal ball which was held at the American Ambassador's residence (sound familiar?).

The American Society, predecesor to La Assoacion Americana de Peru, La Asociación Americana y Canadiensa de Peru, and the present American and Canadian Association of Peru, was a very different entity in 1995 when I took over as President, never having even served on the Board of Directors before.