Happy Holidays!

Even though there has been tons of holiday cheer down here lately (I have been teaching Christmas vocabulary, all the classes have put up their manger scenes - which are the big Christmas decoration down here and they are quite elaborate with all the animals, random buildings, and painted paper for the earth and sky in the background - we had a Christmas mass, caroling session, and paneton - which is like fruit cake - celebration amongst a number of the Catholic schools, etc) it definitely does not feel like holiday season.

I was thinking about it the other day and I think that the mix of warm weather (it is very sunny and warm here around mid day) and the end of the school year (which for my entire life has fallen in June) leaves me feeling very strange about the whole Christmas spirit. That being said, I am not Grinch and am as into it as anyone else. Shoot, I almost ate a full paneton (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QGbP0pErKWS0-RdXGtCexmPNX7cN9rcbeIVSmPKm9dXYpA7FbLFkVACleoXof4h7UrfctECqPIi-rxWbXCdqKEnfG9WS5grNQy5g0OMVfPWgNx2IcPeesVvSdZOzsRYoIjEVO9ms3IY/s400/paneton.jpg)
by myself the other night.

Last week I also celebrated my quarter of a century on this Earth. The fact that I was turning 25 - halfway done with my 20s - struck me more in the lead up to the actual day. The day itself I passed in really good spirits and with just a general appreciation for life and this experience.

The night before, my host family threw me a little party with cuy (guinea pig) that was cooked how I like it (in this tasty red sauce instead of spread eagle and fried). The day of, I had my favorite breakfast of a yogurt fruit salad, and then went to school where they sung happy birthday, we played games, and I let the kids throw water on me (which they claimed was a Peruvian tradition, but I am a little suspect. It is a tradition to break an egg on the head of the birthday girl or boy, but they did not even suggest doing that). After school, I went to the house of one of the families of my students (actually my two best students) and they had a little birthday lunch for me. Later at night, we bought some beers and invited over neighborhood friends for just a little get together to sit and chat. It was a nice calm ending - exactly what I wanted - to a good birthday that was filled with eating good food. I may have had more picante (the typical Tacna dish made with cow´s stomach) than at any other point in the year down here.

Otherwise, like I said, the end of the school year is coming, so I am planning all my final tests, getting ready for my mom to come down and visit and trying to make sure the transition of Christa and Chelsea leaving and Seamus and Maureen moving in goes smoothly. We are working hard on the preparations for the going away party this Sunday, which will cap a busy weekend as I also will become a godfather of confirmation for one of my students this Saturday morning.

Hope everyone is having a happy (and most likely cold) holiday season in the states!