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Published: December 27th 2009
¡¡¡¡¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It doesn't feel a bit like December with the gorgeous sunshine and heat, but it's been a fabulous Christmas celebration!!!!!
It's also hard to beleive that I've already been here for TWO WEEKS! Crazy! And only "3 days and a wake-up" left (as my dad says ... although I hadn't been keeping track until I talked to him on Thursday and he gave me the count-down). Here are the last few days in review ...
Tuesday, December 22
I left La Joya on the 7am bus. It was so sad to leave! I wanted to stay for a week at least. Note to self: If I ever want to get away from it all La Joya is where I need to go! The bus was pretty full, but thankfully I got to sit down for most of the journey. I made it back to Guiamaca in time to take a shower before lunch. I've had one and half warm showers during this trip. That was the half a shower since the water went out before I could rinse out the conditioner, so I had a bucket bath to finish. I hung out with Daniela and her cousins Blanquita for the rest of the day, watching TV and looking at photos from my time with Joel and Daniela last summer.
Wednesday, December 23
Got on the 5:30 bus for Tegucigalpa. It's was a newer, nicer bus and not full, so THAT was a consolation after having to get up so early. 😉 We made it to Tegus by 7:15 ... but then waited in traffic for half an hour. The capital city was jam-packed! I was going to have a taxi-friend from the church meet me, but since traffic was so terrible we decided it'd be better to just take a taxi that was already there. And God sent me an angel that sat next to me on the bus. A gentleman from Guiamaca. He got off with me at a stop and got me a taxi to take me to the bus terminal to go to San Pedro. I was so thankful for that! Although I've never felt threatened in Tegus I'd spent the last few days hearing stories from my friends and their families about being robbed in the city - and it seems like everyone has a story about something that happened to them! And then on the bus we were listening to the radio and they were interviewing people in the emergency clinic who had just been in auto accidents, and there was a guy who had been"jumped" and got his arm slashed up by a machete! And everyone's always warning me to be careful and how dangerous the area is, etc. But, praise God, I arrived safe and sound at the Rey Express terminal and just in time to buy a ticket and get on the 8 am bus for San Pedro. And since the bus was half empty I was able to spread out and sleep!
Half way to San Pedro we had a rest stop. I was starving since I hadn't eatten breakfast. I had two baleadas and they were amazing! (OK ... actually, they're weren't all that wonderful, but I was so hungry they tasted like a little bit of heaven!)
We made it to San Pedro at 12:30 (only 4 and half hours! Fabulous!). The bus terminal in San Pedro was packed! CRAZY!!! Talk about Christmas traveling! I'd never seen so many people there before! I was able to get on the 2 pm bus for Copán, which was jam packed, and we continued to pick people up and drop them off all the 150 km. It was nearly 6 when I finally got off and took a moto-taxi home. Whew! It was great to be back.
Thursday, December 24
CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!! I spent the morning singing Christmas carols and watching Aurita make tamales. I offered to help ... but after seeing how she made them I realized there was a lot more practice and art to it then I had! Several people had ordered tamales from her for Christmas Eve and she spent all morning making more than 100 of them, then the afternoon delivering them. It was fun singing the Christmas songs, although not quite the same without others to join in with me. (I've found very few people that know the songs in Spanish ... although I have the word for a couple).
My host family usually doesn't do anything special for Christmas. The oldest son buys firecrackers each year (which the whole town sets off at midnight ... it's absolutely spectacular! It felt more like the 4th of July than Christmas!). But this year, since I was there, we had a special meal together. Tamales, chicken and a vegatable salad (which I think is the only time I've had lettuce at my host family's!). It was really special to sit down with the whole family and eat at the same time (another rarity ... usually we eat at approximately the same time, but each plate is ready and served individually). After there was service in the church, although there was only a handfull of us. One point of the message though was a fresh view of Christ's birth. Pastor Nahún pointed out that the manager was nothing. It was humble. Nothing special. Until Christ was placed in it. And then it became something of worth and people sought it (and continue to seek the place where Jesus was born). It's the same with us. We're nothing marvelous on our own. Nothing special. Until we invite Christ into our lives. Once he is placed in us and is at our center - WOW! Everything changes. I love it!
After church there was only to wait until midnight. Gifts are traditionally opened at midnight as well as all the fire-crackers/works are set off (supposedly from the thought that Jesus was born at midnight). So we waiting, tried to stay warm (50 degrees F with no heat, no coats, etc. can be fairly chilly!); I made a checker board on paper and Saraí and Daniel made a set of checkers with green and pink paper, then I tuaght them how to play. (Daniel fell it love with the game and he and I have played several times since. It's actually a great game to have kids think ahead and plan their actions.) We had some sparklers and watched the neighbor's firecrackers, watched some TV ... and then finally, it was nearly midnight! Marvin got out his firecrackers, we got more sparklers, and celebrated with the rest of the town. There was so smoke you couldn't even see down to the street! And the noise! And then hugs and "Feliz Navidad!!!" It was something special. =)
Then I brought out the gifts I had for the family. (Mine were the only gifts. Navidad in Honduras centers on food, family and fireworks and has very little to do with pressure and presents.) I explained that my family has the tradition of reading Luke 2 each Christmas Eve, so I read that from my Spanish Bible, and then handed out the gifts. I brought a bunch of candy, instant pudding and stickers for the kids, and got a digital camera and accessories for the family. They loved it!
We stayed up chatting for a bit and then I went to bed at about 1:30 am.
Friday, December 25
CHRISTMAS DAY ... the 25th really isn't as big a day as the 24th. Since everyone stays up so late, they usually sleep in and relax. After lunch Aurita went to visit her parents and Saraí, Daniel and I went to the stream and field below their house to play frisbee. It was GORGEOUS!!! While the kids played in the water, I sat on a rock with my toes in the water and made phone calls to people in the States. I had called my parents the day before and was able to talk for nearly an hour for less than 30 lempiras (about $1.50). Awesome.
We finished the day watching Monsters Inc. on TV. It was a splendid Christmas! =)
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Solana
non-member comment
Navidad
So good to catch up with you and hear about your celebrations and time with friends. April, if I could be in my 20s again, I'd be doing what you're doing. May God bless you richly as you continue to travel and minister in His name and in His strength!!! Love and prayers! Solana