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!
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Friday, December 11, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
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
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
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