Feliz Navidad from a gringa missing her white Christmas

Hola mis queridos amigos/as! Sorry I have been a bit of a slacker blogger as of late. As you´ll see from the photos below, I´ve been keeping busy these days. We had our second technical training in which I learned everything from how to make shampoo as a small fundraising project to techniques to strengthen my ADESCO. We had training in San Salvador for two weeks from 8-4:30 each day. On the weekend we stayed at a beautiful hotel in Ahuachapan, along what is known as ¨ruta de las flores.¨ We went swimming at a spectacular hidden waterfall and visited a NGO called Stoveteam International. (See pics below) This organization makes affordable stoves that heat up faster, are virtually smoke-free, and consume less wood than the the traditional Salvadoran wood-burning stove. This is a popular project that many volunteers have brought to their sites.

Two of my friends from the MC teachers staff, Aminta and Dilia came to visit me in the capital and we took a day trip to the highest point in the capital, known as ¨Los planes¨to admire the city chaos from afar. So, en fin, it was a nice mix of work and play but I was more than ready to get back to site and see my people by the end of PST2. Now everyone is preparing for Christmas, including yours truely! In Montecristo everyone sets up elaborate manger scenes in their house, including bean and corn sprouts which they grow leading up to the 25th. The small green sprouts are referred to as ¨nacidos¨as are the manger scenes themselves. (Pictures to come) The ¨birth¨of the seeds represents the birth of Jesus. On the 25th everyone walks around the community visiting each house to admire the nacidos. Many families serve sweet bread and tamales to the guests. Fire crackers echo through the hills.

Yesterday, the 20th, I threw a big christmas celebration for the kids in my community. I only was able to get about 20 invites hand-delivered beforehand, but the word spread like wildfire and I had about 45 people show up at the house for the grand event. This was all exhilarating and slightly terrifying, but I have to say things went as smoothly as they could have gone, given such a crowd. Everyone had a good time! Reina and some other moms made enchiladas while I did a raffle, a series of dinámicas (games) with the kids, and led the craft of Christmas card making (which was a HUGE hit). In my community, people can´t really afford to do gift-giving. From what I can tell, the main gift they get on Christmas, in some cases, is a new outfit to wear to go visit the nacidos. The kids seemed really excited to have a Christmas card to gift to their Mom, grandma, or friend. The party lasted about 4 hours and afterwards I could hardly move. It was a total blast and next year I plan to do it again, only perhaps at a larger venue.

Right now I am reeling with excitement in anticipation of Dad and Jamie´s big arrival tomorrow afternoon! We will be running off to a luxurious beachside resort before busing it back to my site for a taste of real Salvadoran living. Everyone is anxious to meet them, and of course, give them lots of food. Hope you guys like tamales! So that´s my life in a nutshell at this moment. I will write more post-holidays. I must say that I miss snow in such a big way...I miss feeling ¨cozy¨ by a fire, full of nostalgia, with a hot chocolate while watching the Christmas tree. No matter how many times I blast Jingle Bell Rock, no matter how many tacky Christmas decorations I stuff in my room, it just doesn´t feel when it´s 90 degrees! I wish you all the very best for the holiday season, and may 2010 bring us all another year full of ups, downs, and all that stuff in between that makes us feel alive. Peace.