Our Holiday Blog

The holidays are here. First, it’s important to know that holidays are not celebrated in the same ways here in our country as they are in the States. So, some notes on that and on our own personal holidays.

First, obviously there’s not the same Thanksgiving here as in the States – there were no pilgrims, no cornucopias, no smallpox-laden blankets. But there is Harvest Day, celebrated in mid-November; with 2 growing seasons instead of 1, this country had a 50/50 shot at coinciding with the States as it does. It’s not a specific day, but rather a brief period, and is mostly celebrated in Christian churches. So, the two of us got to attend 2 consecutive Sundays of Harvest celebrations at nearby churches. People bring in produce and the wealth of the lands, and the pastor has also typically gone around door-to-door in the neighborhood collecting watermelons and so forth, and it makes for a really nice day. Our personal Thanksgiving / birthday was a nice, quiet affair, celebrated by us + dog.

Christmas, meanwhile, is worlds apart. Starting December 24th, there are 3 days of partying, extending from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Boxing Day, Dec. 26th, has nothing to do with large muscular men or pugilism. Rather, it’s named for something like stacking up the boxes of stuff you got; at least, that’s what one of us has heard. Regardless, people are out on the road, drinking heavily and eating Black Cake, which involves rum somehow. When we mentioned that Christmas Day typically revolves around private family gatherings, we got laughter in response. “People wake up still drunk from the night before, and then the drinking continues.” So. We’ll let you know how it goes.

We may be having some visitors around Christmastime, another volunteer or two, depending on how things work out. In this country, you don’t count on something til it’s already happened (like with our kitchen sink getting fixed; we’re going on 4 weeks of constantly leaking water). Also, before Christmas, we have a whole-group meeting of the volunteers, to get some tips on grants, and also just meet up and build morale. Eight people have left now out of our original 33, mostly over issues of abject loneliness, mixed with feelings of accomplishing little. It’s frustrating work at times, and forces come from all over to stimy attempts at action. Whole days get written off because a Minister (like a Secretary of …. under the U.S. President) comes through, or because it rains heavily enough that everyone just stays home that day. You need a lot of resilience, patience, and a sense of humor (and an occasional stiff drink) to get through sometimes.

Finally, on New Year’s Eve some of the Christian churches celebrate All…….something something something. What this means is, during Christmas when most of our readers are with family, solemnly and lovingly celebrating Christ’s birth, we may be drinking. And New Year’s Eve, when some of our readers are getting uproariously drunk, we may well be at church. Funny world, huh?

That being said, in the spirit of the holidays, we’ve created a list of the small things that help us get through each week, things for which we are more than a little grateful.

We give thanks for:

Music we brought with us from the States

Heated water tossed into our bucket for bathing (some nights it gets down to 78 degrees!)

The Jimmy Buffet song “Ho, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum” about Santa going off to the Caribbean – it’s our holiday theme song

That we figured out how to make pizza, brownies, and cookies using only a rangetop (necessity is the mother of invention, and all that)

Letters and packages from home (thanks!)

Rainy and breezy days that cool us down

Books

Oasis, the single Westernized coffee-house (owned by a Brit) in the entire country, which we get to visit once every 3-5 months when we go into the capital for some reason

Seven Curry – this will be its own blog entry at some point

The laptop given me by the secondary school, on which we write these entries

Our one fan, bless it, which helps us sleep at night, the loss of which awakens us immediately to the fact that we have a blackout

Visiting with other volunteers

Baby powder on our necks, insides of elbows and backs of knees – at night, in the morning, whenever, wherever; man it feels good to be dry

Our knives and faux-Leatherman (from Target for just $25!), all of which we seem to use almost every day

Screens on our windows, newly installed thanks to some of our secondary-school students, and given to us at a cut rate by a sympathetic shop-owner. Volunteerism has its perks!

Our dog Riesling, even when she’s gnawing our hands and peeing on our floors

Books

Newsweek, given to us by our organization to keep us sane, and The New Yorker, given us by another volunteer after she finishes them, shipped by her family (there’s some trickle-down effect for you!)

Cocktail hour, celebrated once weekly, on the day it seems most needed; it’s great, but by the time we leave this place, I may never want to squeeze another lime in my life

Our headlamp, during blackouts (and just generally)

Books!