Friday, January 23, 2009
jesus loves the little children
after saying goodbye last night, i needed a reminder as to why i am here in bolivia....
Friday, January 16, 2009
who am i serving?
life is changing. to be more accurate, my life is not really changing...it's more like everything around me is changing and moving at 100 mph and i am standing still. and i'm not sure how to deal with it. the director of my school and his family have had to leave suddenly due to their baby daughter's health problems. she can no longer live at this altitude. jason is an amazing director, he is incredible at his job. but more than that, this family is my family away from home. jason is the big brother i never had and his wife, sara, is one of my closest friends. we came to bolivia together 3 years ago. we have gone through all the adjustments to a new country together. we have spent hours talking about everything and planning the rest of our lives. we know each other's struggles and burdens. we have cried together and celebrated together. and now the life we had planned has been drastically changed. we no longer have a year and a half left together. our time together is finished, and i didn't even get to say goodbye. the past two days at work have been extremely hard. jason is here to get the semester started and will be coming three more times during the semester. we had a meeting today about the chain of command while he is gone. it's going to take 6 people to take his place. and i was sitting there thinking, "this isn't what i signed up for. i keep renewing my contract because i want to work for jason. he is the biggest reason i have stayed in bolivia. and now, he won't be here? i can't do this" and i know many in the room were thinking the same thing. and then james, our high school science teacher and jason's best friend, stood up. looking at the people who are filling in for jason he told them that he was speaking for the staff when he said that we did not come to bolivia to serve jason. we came to serve god. and therefore, although we don't want jason to leave, it doesn't change anything. we are here because god called us here, and we will continue to be here serving him, and that means we will submit to their authority because we have submitted to his authority.
and that is truth. i did not come to bolivia because jason called me here. i came because god called me here. and he has called me to at least another year. i am here to work for him, not jason. and while this is still a sad time, full of tears and confusion, ultimately, my work here has not changed. and i have committed to serving him, here or anywhere else he calls me. i just needed to be reminded of this commitment.
and that is truth. i did not come to bolivia because jason called me here. i came because god called me here. and he has called me to at least another year. i am here to work for him, not jason. and while this is still a sad time, full of tears and confusion, ultimately, my work here has not changed. and i have committed to serving him, here or anywhere else he calls me. i just needed to be reminded of this commitment.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
many the miles
To begin, let me give this warning-this will be very long. But people keep asking me about my trip, and I have decided the easiest way to share about it is to just type it once here. I am going to try to just give the major highlights and keep it brief, but if you've read my blog before, you know I don't usually succeed at being brief!
I think the one thing that stood out to me most during the whole trip was the clear presence of the Lord the entire time. There were many things that could have gone very wrong, and often did go wrong, only to work out for the best. It was clear someone quite a bit bigger was in charge and had all the plans under his control.
My traveling buddy, Ali, and I set off to the La Paz bus terminal at 5pm Friday afternoon...and we didn't arrive to our first destination, Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, until 8am Monday morning. It was a crazy beginning to the trip. We took a 14 hour bus to Santa Cruz, Bolivia and then had 7 hours to kill in Santa Cruz. We then got on a bus for Asuncion, Paraguay. This was probably the worst bus ride of my entire life...so far, anyway. We drove across the ENTIRE country of Paraguay, which we learned is mostly the Chaco, a huge dry, barren, dust bowl. At Paraguayan immigration, we were so hot and so dirty, but we had no Paraguayan currency to buy a cold drink. We thought we were going to die, and this was when the first quote of the trip was uttered, "If hell had another name it would be Paraguay". Honestly, we drove for 16 hours and didn't see any signs of life until about 30 minutes outside the city of Asuncion. We arrived in Asuncion looking forward to finding a way to exchange money, buy a cold drink, and use the bathroom. However, the man at the bus station told us that we did not have seats on the bus to Foz de Iguazu because the La Paz office had not sent our information and all the buses were full. So instead of having 3-4 hours in Asuncion to recuperate, we had to immediately get on another bus to go to another city on the other side of Paraguay and then they gave us money to buy a ticket from there to Foz de Iguazu. Well, the entire time we had been worrying about going to Foz because that is the Brazilian side and we did not have Brazilian visas. We weren't sure how this was going to work and I had been praying about it the entire bus ride across Paraguay. I asked the man if instead we could buy tickets to the Argentina side, but he said this was impossible. So still praying, we boarded the next bus, which was crammed full with people standing in the aisles, and drove another 4 hours. We arrived at the bus station at 3am and of course, everything was shut down. We settled into sticky, green plastic bench chairs, put our stuff on the filthy ground and tried to figure out what to do. At this point, we still had no Paraguayan currency, except for money for the next bus, but since we did not have any idea how much that bus would cost, we couldn't use that money for buying the drinks we desperately needed. We also have no money to pay to go to the bathroom, so we took turns sneaking in, and then settled down for a few hours of rest before the buses started running again. Needless to say we were pretty miserable. However, around 6am (it's Monday morning, now), the buses started running and we learned that we could take a bus directly to Argentina, bypassing Brazilian immigration completely, and that it only cost about 1/4 of our money. We laughed the whole way to Argentina, amazed at how the Lord had worked through the misery to keep us from going into Brazil.
We saw amazing things throughout the trip, here are just some brief highlights:
*Iguazu Falls-If you have ever seen the movie The Mission, those huge waterfalls are the Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil. They are absolutely incredible. We took a boat around the falls and then under a few of them. After being so hot it was incredibly refreshing to be completely soaked by the rushing water! We then walked around the balconies overlooking the Devil's Throat, which was a massive waterfall just roaring into white mist. Over the mist was a beautiful double rainbow. It reminded us of God's faithfulness and his promise never to leave us.
*Buenos Aires- We ended up spending most of our time in this huge, European-like city. There was a lot to see and do. I loved all the street, artisan markets, that also included street performers. There was the weirdest cemetery that looked more like a miniature city than a final resting place. We went to tango show one night, which was quite over the top and dramatic, but full of amazing dancing. We spent a lot of time in plazas and gardens. And of course, spent time wandering around La Boca, the famous street with all the colored buildings, known for tango.
*Patagonia- Because of problems with our plane, we missed a whole day in Patagonia, which was disappointing, because it was the most beautiful place. Yet, the problems gave the Lord another opportunity to show his sovereignty as we were easily able to arrange another flight. Patagonia, was windy and cold and absolutely perfect for those of us who were missing winter. We spent New Year's Eve day gawking at the incredible Perito Moreno glacier...the world's only advancing glacier. There are really no words to describe the magnificance of this sight. We then had a party at our hostel to ring in the new year, complete with a true argentina parillada (cook out)-run by the town butcher, lots of music, fun people, and fireworks (a tradition apparently the US is the only country not participating in!).
*Mendoza- Mendoza is beautiful city right in the middle of Argentina wine country. It is surrounded by beautiful vineyards. The city itself is full of trees, beautiful plazas, and the biggest park I have ever seen. We spent one day here driving a ways out of the city to go white water rafting through the Andes. It was amazing, and I realized how much I really do love rafting. We also ran into friends from Buenos Aires, which was so crazy, small-worldish and lots of fun!
*Valparaiso, Chile- After over 3 hours waiting at the border, Ali and I finally got to Chile (without having to pay $131 for a Visa...another example of the Lord's provision, as we had spent forver the night before looking for a way to get US$ and had been unsuccessful, and so were unsure how we were going to pay for this visa). Valparaiso is a quaint city about 2 hours north of Santiago. It is is very bohemian with lots of fun old houses, painted all different colors, and all of the walls are full of of huge murals and graffiti. We enjoyed a day wandering around the city, running into a British friend from our bus, then spending the rest of the day with him, going out to the famous poet, Pablo Neruda's house. We also had a beach day here, which ended in terrible sunburns, perfectly timed for the long trek back to La Paz.
By the end, I was definitely ready to be back in La Paz, where I knew how public transportation worked and how to do life, where I could sleep in my own bed and not live out of a backpack, but have lots of clean clothes to choose from, and where I did not have to sleep on another bus for a very long time. Yet, at the same time, I felt like I had missed so much. There was so much to see and 3 weeks just wasn't enough time to see it in. I must go back sometime, especially to Patagonia, to really experience and see all that was there. Someday....
I think the one thing that stood out to me most during the whole trip was the clear presence of the Lord the entire time. There were many things that could have gone very wrong, and often did go wrong, only to work out for the best. It was clear someone quite a bit bigger was in charge and had all the plans under his control.
My traveling buddy, Ali, and I set off to the La Paz bus terminal at 5pm Friday afternoon...and we didn't arrive to our first destination, Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, until 8am Monday morning. It was a crazy beginning to the trip. We took a 14 hour bus to Santa Cruz, Bolivia and then had 7 hours to kill in Santa Cruz. We then got on a bus for Asuncion, Paraguay. This was probably the worst bus ride of my entire life...so far, anyway. We drove across the ENTIRE country of Paraguay, which we learned is mostly the Chaco, a huge dry, barren, dust bowl. At Paraguayan immigration, we were so hot and so dirty, but we had no Paraguayan currency to buy a cold drink. We thought we were going to die, and this was when the first quote of the trip was uttered, "If hell had another name it would be Paraguay". Honestly, we drove for 16 hours and didn't see any signs of life until about 30 minutes outside the city of Asuncion. We arrived in Asuncion looking forward to finding a way to exchange money, buy a cold drink, and use the bathroom. However, the man at the bus station told us that we did not have seats on the bus to Foz de Iguazu because the La Paz office had not sent our information and all the buses were full. So instead of having 3-4 hours in Asuncion to recuperate, we had to immediately get on another bus to go to another city on the other side of Paraguay and then they gave us money to buy a ticket from there to Foz de Iguazu. Well, the entire time we had been worrying about going to Foz because that is the Brazilian side and we did not have Brazilian visas. We weren't sure how this was going to work and I had been praying about it the entire bus ride across Paraguay. I asked the man if instead we could buy tickets to the Argentina side, but he said this was impossible. So still praying, we boarded the next bus, which was crammed full with people standing in the aisles, and drove another 4 hours. We arrived at the bus station at 3am and of course, everything was shut down. We settled into sticky, green plastic bench chairs, put our stuff on the filthy ground and tried to figure out what to do. At this point, we still had no Paraguayan currency, except for money for the next bus, but since we did not have any idea how much that bus would cost, we couldn't use that money for buying the drinks we desperately needed. We also have no money to pay to go to the bathroom, so we took turns sneaking in, and then settled down for a few hours of rest before the buses started running again. Needless to say we were pretty miserable. However, around 6am (it's Monday morning, now), the buses started running and we learned that we could take a bus directly to Argentina, bypassing Brazilian immigration completely, and that it only cost about 1/4 of our money. We laughed the whole way to Argentina, amazed at how the Lord had worked through the misery to keep us from going into Brazil.
We saw amazing things throughout the trip, here are just some brief highlights:
*Iguazu Falls-If you have ever seen the movie The Mission, those huge waterfalls are the Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil. They are absolutely incredible. We took a boat around the falls and then under a few of them. After being so hot it was incredibly refreshing to be completely soaked by the rushing water! We then walked around the balconies overlooking the Devil's Throat, which was a massive waterfall just roaring into white mist. Over the mist was a beautiful double rainbow. It reminded us of God's faithfulness and his promise never to leave us.
*Buenos Aires- We ended up spending most of our time in this huge, European-like city. There was a lot to see and do. I loved all the street, artisan markets, that also included street performers. There was the weirdest cemetery that looked more like a miniature city than a final resting place. We went to tango show one night, which was quite over the top and dramatic, but full of amazing dancing. We spent a lot of time in plazas and gardens. And of course, spent time wandering around La Boca, the famous street with all the colored buildings, known for tango.
*Patagonia- Because of problems with our plane, we missed a whole day in Patagonia, which was disappointing, because it was the most beautiful place. Yet, the problems gave the Lord another opportunity to show his sovereignty as we were easily able to arrange another flight. Patagonia, was windy and cold and absolutely perfect for those of us who were missing winter. We spent New Year's Eve day gawking at the incredible Perito Moreno glacier...the world's only advancing glacier. There are really no words to describe the magnificance of this sight. We then had a party at our hostel to ring in the new year, complete with a true argentina parillada (cook out)-run by the town butcher, lots of music, fun people, and fireworks (a tradition apparently the US is the only country not participating in!).
*Mendoza- Mendoza is beautiful city right in the middle of Argentina wine country. It is surrounded by beautiful vineyards. The city itself is full of trees, beautiful plazas, and the biggest park I have ever seen. We spent one day here driving a ways out of the city to go white water rafting through the Andes. It was amazing, and I realized how much I really do love rafting. We also ran into friends from Buenos Aires, which was so crazy, small-worldish and lots of fun!
*Valparaiso, Chile- After over 3 hours waiting at the border, Ali and I finally got to Chile (without having to pay $131 for a Visa...another example of the Lord's provision, as we had spent forver the night before looking for a way to get US$ and had been unsuccessful, and so were unsure how we were going to pay for this visa). Valparaiso is a quaint city about 2 hours north of Santiago. It is is very bohemian with lots of fun old houses, painted all different colors, and all of the walls are full of of huge murals and graffiti. We enjoyed a day wandering around the city, running into a British friend from our bus, then spending the rest of the day with him, going out to the famous poet, Pablo Neruda's house. We also had a beach day here, which ended in terrible sunburns, perfectly timed for the long trek back to La Paz.
By the end, I was definitely ready to be back in La Paz, where I knew how public transportation worked and how to do life, where I could sleep in my own bed and not live out of a backpack, but have lots of clean clothes to choose from, and where I did not have to sleep on another bus for a very long time. Yet, at the same time, I felt like I had missed so much. There was so much to see and 3 weeks just wasn't enough time to see it in. I must go back sometime, especially to Patagonia, to really experience and see all that was there. Someday....
Sunday, December 14, 2008
the weary world rejoices
o holy night is one of my absolute favorite christmas carols. i have sung it a million times and probably listen to it a couple of times daily during the christmas season. however, tonight, as i was singing it for the millionth and one time at our community group, i actually really paid attention to the words that i was singing. i was struck by the deep meanings embedded in this popular christmas song.
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Behold your King.
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Behold your King.
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
Friday, November 28, 2008
"we didn't need to skip the rolls"
anyone who knows me at all, knows that i am obsessed with gilmore girls. i have seen every episode multiple times and can quote any of them at the drop of a hat. between gilmore girls and friends, pretty much anything that happens in life can relate back to either of those shows. during this year's thanksgiving saga i couldn't help but think about the episode in season 3 where rory and lorelei have to attend 4 thanksgiving dinners. although they were trying to attend 4 in one day, and i was able to spread my four thanksgiving dinners out over 2 weeks. however, now that they are all over, it is funny to think about how different each one was, and how easily i can relate them to each thanksgiving in the show :)
the first thanksgiving was actually more like a harvest party, and reminded me of the korean thansgiving in the show (although, thankfully, there was no tofurkey), super early and not traditional. the food was not your tradititional turkey and mashed potatoes, but rather delicious sweet potato curry soup, applesauce, stuffing, pumpkin cake, and incredible wassail. although, the food was not completely traditional it was still a time of wonderful fellowship with friends and a time to share with others doing ministry here in la paz/el alto.
the second thanksgiving was by far my favorite. it reminded me of the thanksgiving at luke's...all of your traditional food and people you love. this thanksgiving was hosted by a family from school who has blessed our staff in numerous ways. during dinner we took turns sharing what we were thankful for, and a major theme of thanksgiving was how thankful we all are for each other. if we couldn't share thanksgiving with our families, second best was sharing it with these people who we work with everyday and who share our calling to minister to children and families in la paz. we all know how hard it is to live overseas, but it is made a thousand times easier when you are able to share the experience with brothers and sisters in christ. after dinner, we cuddled up in front of the tv for a charlie brown thanksgiving, followed by dessert and games around the fire.
the third thanksgiving was perhaps the hardest for me. it occurred after school on the actual thanksgiving day. i woke up that morning thinking that this was the last time i could go and teach on thanksgiving day. for the past three years we have had school on thanksgiving and it has gotten harder each year. thankfully, our director has promised we will be on the beach next thanksgiving, not at school! the morning was wonderful as my students and i listened to christmas music and completed several different thanksgiving projects, as well as began decorating our room for christmas. the afternoon became a little more stressful as we had plans for all 55 first through fourth graders and i ended up taking charge of it all. after school, all i wanted to do was go home, enjoy some time with my roommates, perhaps watch a christmas movie, and sleep. i had been up until 1am the night before and had had a stressful week. but instead, i had to face the entire staff for a pseudo-thanksgiving dinner in our school cafeteria. i say pseudo because one could hardly call eating off metal cafeteria trays, on plastic chairs at plastic tables in a school cafeteria a real thanksgiving. the stress of the week, the sheer exhaustion, and the homesickness i have been holding at bay for three years all caught up with me that afternoon, and i broke down. i had no more strength left to pretend everything was okay. i was thankful, though, for roommates who understood and we were able to eat together, cry together, laugh together, and pray together. i felt like sookie whose thanksgiving was ruined because jackson decided to fry the turkey (the fried turkey was actually the best part of this thanksgiving!) and she just sat at the table crying. while she drowns her sorrows in alcohol, my roommates and i took a different tactic and sat down that night to watch high school musical 2, the cheesiest movie known to man and guaranteed to make you laugh.
the final thanksgiving occurred last night, and once again, can hardly be called a thanksgiving. lorelei and rory's last thanksgiving is at her parents' house and highlights all the dysfunctionality that is her family (i know that is not word, but it sounds good!). our last thanksgiving also opened our eyes to a completely dysfunctional family. we had been invited by the father of one my students to his apartment for a real american thanksgiving. and while the food was delicious, it was hard to swallow as i watched this man interact with his daughter. there was no respect in that house, and this 57 year old man admitted he knew everything was doing wrong in raising his 7 year old daugther, but showed no evidence of wanting to change. he has lived a crazy life, and while is full of entertaining stories, i left brokenhearted realizing that while this man has all the money he could ever need, his life lacks love and happiness. and i wanted to cry thinking about this little girl, who while curled up on my lap, was talked about by her father and his friends as if she was an object with no feelings. i left that dinner empty and sad, feeling an even bigger burden for students and their families.
part of me wishes i could have just stopped after thanksgiving #2, the incredible one. however, i know everything has a purpose and i experienced those last two, less than satisfactory thanksgivings, for a reason. i was able to learn more about myself and my students. i was able to really and truly appreciate my family and close friends. and the lord worked through each thanksgiving to challenge me and grow me and for that i am truly thankful.
the first thanksgiving was actually more like a harvest party, and reminded me of the korean thansgiving in the show (although, thankfully, there was no tofurkey), super early and not traditional. the food was not your tradititional turkey and mashed potatoes, but rather delicious sweet potato curry soup, applesauce, stuffing, pumpkin cake, and incredible wassail. although, the food was not completely traditional it was still a time of wonderful fellowship with friends and a time to share with others doing ministry here in la paz/el alto.
the second thanksgiving was by far my favorite. it reminded me of the thanksgiving at luke's...all of your traditional food and people you love. this thanksgiving was hosted by a family from school who has blessed our staff in numerous ways. during dinner we took turns sharing what we were thankful for, and a major theme of thanksgiving was how thankful we all are for each other. if we couldn't share thanksgiving with our families, second best was sharing it with these people who we work with everyday and who share our calling to minister to children and families in la paz. we all know how hard it is to live overseas, but it is made a thousand times easier when you are able to share the experience with brothers and sisters in christ. after dinner, we cuddled up in front of the tv for a charlie brown thanksgiving, followed by dessert and games around the fire.
the third thanksgiving was perhaps the hardest for me. it occurred after school on the actual thanksgiving day. i woke up that morning thinking that this was the last time i could go and teach on thanksgiving day. for the past three years we have had school on thanksgiving and it has gotten harder each year. thankfully, our director has promised we will be on the beach next thanksgiving, not at school! the morning was wonderful as my students and i listened to christmas music and completed several different thanksgiving projects, as well as began decorating our room for christmas. the afternoon became a little more stressful as we had plans for all 55 first through fourth graders and i ended up taking charge of it all. after school, all i wanted to do was go home, enjoy some time with my roommates, perhaps watch a christmas movie, and sleep. i had been up until 1am the night before and had had a stressful week. but instead, i had to face the entire staff for a pseudo-thanksgiving dinner in our school cafeteria. i say pseudo because one could hardly call eating off metal cafeteria trays, on plastic chairs at plastic tables in a school cafeteria a real thanksgiving. the stress of the week, the sheer exhaustion, and the homesickness i have been holding at bay for three years all caught up with me that afternoon, and i broke down. i had no more strength left to pretend everything was okay. i was thankful, though, for roommates who understood and we were able to eat together, cry together, laugh together, and pray together. i felt like sookie whose thanksgiving was ruined because jackson decided to fry the turkey (the fried turkey was actually the best part of this thanksgiving!) and she just sat at the table crying. while she drowns her sorrows in alcohol, my roommates and i took a different tactic and sat down that night to watch high school musical 2, the cheesiest movie known to man and guaranteed to make you laugh.
the final thanksgiving occurred last night, and once again, can hardly be called a thanksgiving. lorelei and rory's last thanksgiving is at her parents' house and highlights all the dysfunctionality that is her family (i know that is not word, but it sounds good!). our last thanksgiving also opened our eyes to a completely dysfunctional family. we had been invited by the father of one my students to his apartment for a real american thanksgiving. and while the food was delicious, it was hard to swallow as i watched this man interact with his daughter. there was no respect in that house, and this 57 year old man admitted he knew everything was doing wrong in raising his 7 year old daugther, but showed no evidence of wanting to change. he has lived a crazy life, and while is full of entertaining stories, i left brokenhearted realizing that while this man has all the money he could ever need, his life lacks love and happiness. and i wanted to cry thinking about this little girl, who while curled up on my lap, was talked about by her father and his friends as if she was an object with no feelings. i left that dinner empty and sad, feeling an even bigger burden for students and their families.
part of me wishes i could have just stopped after thanksgiving #2, the incredible one. however, i know everything has a purpose and i experienced those last two, less than satisfactory thanksgivings, for a reason. i was able to learn more about myself and my students. i was able to really and truly appreciate my family and close friends. and the lord worked through each thanksgiving to challenge me and grow me and for that i am truly thankful.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...
actually, not really. in fact, most days here lately have been clear, bright and blue without a cloud in the sky. i have spent recesses working on the tan on my arms, or more accurately, trying not to get burnt. as we head into summer, i never cease to be amazed at how hard it is to make it feel like christmas without gray skies, snow, and frosty, cold mornings. yet for half of the world, christmas is a summer holiday. it might be ethnocentric and culturally insensitive to say so, but this just does not work for me. therefore, because the weather is not cooperative i begin celebrating a little early. now in the states it is absolutely unacceptable to begin christmas decorations and music until after thanksgiving. one holiday at a time is my rule. but because it is not fall, pumpkins are next to impossible to find, and i have to go to school and teach on thanksgiving day, i have made an exception to that rule the last few years. the christmas music has already been broken out and the decorations will begin to appear slowly...although i will do my major decorating the day after thanksgiving in order to keep a semblance of tradition. on sunday my lovely roommates and i shared our many christmas traditions over dinner. i was reminded how fortunate i was to have grown up in a home full of beautiful customs and traditions surrounding christmas and i hope to continue many of those with my own family someday. my roommates and i decided we would try to bring as many of the traditions as we could to our own little home in bolivia. that is especially important for me since i will not be coming home for christmas this year (i always have to skip the song, i'll be home for christmas, as it starts to depress me). i try not to think about how most likely i will be on a bus on christmas day traveling for 8 or so hours....of course, i will be going from iguazu falls to buenos aires..... :)
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