Feliz Ano Nuevo

Happy New Year to all the friends and family out there!

I passed from the old to the new on the beach here with the other volunteers and some friends. There is basically a huge party, most people do not sleep, they set off tons of fireworks on the beach, burn dolls meant to represent the old year, and dance all night long. There are also a million traditions-superstitions out here and I participated in probably about half.

First of all, yellow is the color to wear (down to the underwear) and it means good luck. Then, one should eat 12 grapes at 12 o´clock. Then, one should also be hiding under the table at New Years (this one makes no sense to me). Then, one should put lentils and rice (uncooked) in your pocket or wallet and this will bring you money in the New Year. Then, if one wants to travel, you should take your suitcase and run once around the block when midnight comes around. It´s all pretty wild.

Despite all the festivies--which I did enjoy--the holidays here did not quite feel like the holidays. Part of it is that I didn´t pass them with good friends (I would not quite yet consider the community here good friends, but rather in the process of getting there - though I do get along quite well with everyone and have had many a deep conversation on everything from sex before marriage to social justice to family secrets) or family. I have come to realizer that despite one year in Colombia (when I was about ten and my family went down there), I have never passed the holidays outside of New York and Conn. I have never not watched some sort of countdown on TV for New Years and never not participated in putting up our Christmas tree or saying Merry Christmas to my family the morning of. Also, normally the holidays fall in the middle of working and so they are a vacation-holiday. Here, the school year just ended, so they are more of a release (though in some ways like a holiday because on Sunday I start Mes de Mision).

Oh, I am not sure I will get to post again before leaving for Mes de Mision, but here is some info: I finally made the decision to go with the wealthier, all-male Colegio Cristo Rey because I felt the need for another person was stronger there even though my heart wanted to go with the community in which I live. I will be gone from Jan 4th to 31st and will be with 7 other adults and 52 kids in Curibaya, Tacna. It´s a couple hour bus ride away and this is about all I got for ya from the internet: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distrito_de_Curibaya