CHRISTMAS!!!

IT´S FINALLY HERE!!! In Guatemala, christmas is celebrated on the 24th of December in the night time. It is the end of a few stressful weeks for me, as the caregivers at the house were given vacation and the volunteers were expected to cover the basic needs of all the children. So my lesson plans have, temporarily, taken the back burner as I have been occupied with bathing and changing and feeding the special ed kids. I think it is good for me to do this sometimes to remember how difficult that job is and how many needs my children have on a daily basis.

One interesting difference in Guatemala is that the nativity scenes here often lack the actual doll of baby Jesus until the 24th of Decemeber when he is actually born. So, earlier in the month, the nativity will only include Joesph and Mary and animals. During the night of the 24th, many of the kids took turns holding a doll of Jesus in their arms and passing it around before adding it to the nativity.

At the house, the volunteers put on a christmas skit for the kids with comical representations of Mary and Joesph. I played a pastor who had to avoid temptations of the devil in order to make it to the birth of baby Jesus. Then, we had a christmas meal with meat and ponche, a traditional drink made of fruit and cinnamon. I couldn´t help noticing that it was missing rum...but it was still delicious! Some people eat tamales at christmas time, but we saved that meal for New Year´s Eve at the house. After dinner, we had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. At midnight, the kids recieved presents from Santa.... socks, underwear, a bookbag, candy, and shoes. Then, even the tiniest babies set off firecrackers. Good times!!!