Merry Christmas!

Nicaraguans celebrate Christmas on the 24^th, so while you all are busy exchanging presents, eating delicious meals, and spending time with family today my holiday celebrations are complete.

I wasn’t sure if the kids would be on the corner yesterday when I left the house. I was hoping that I would not find them there, since that would imply they were celebrating their holiday at home or elsewhere. However, they were all out there like any other day.

We had a pretty good lunch; the kids were excited that Brad, Kiki, and her brother surprised us. All of these fun visitors raised the kids’ energy level several notches, though. There was some drama between Aura, the girl who just got signed up in the program on Friday, and Sonia. Brad told me that he saw them all-out brawling the other day and it seems like the animosity still remains.

Our good friend Keren invited Brad and me to join her family for a traditional Nicaraguan Christmas dinner last night. Brad wanted to go visit the kids in the orphanage where we go for spring break, which is down the street from Keren’s house, beforehand so we left my house around 3pm. When we got there we realized there was a group of Americans with the kids already so, not wanting to intrude, we instead spent a few hours walking around the town of Vera Cruz. Brad knows a good amount of people there so we stopped by three houses and chatted with some of his friends.

Nicaraguans, in general, seem to be much more hospitable than Americans. Upon arriving, unannounced, we were immediately offered chairs, drinks, and even a look at what must be one of the most treasured possessions – the family photo album. Brad and I couldn’t get over how Nicaraguans usually do not smile for pictures. There were countless pictures from someone’s wedding, and the people looked absolutely miserable in every one. Just a cultural difference, I guess. One family even talked Brad and me into taking turns riding their horse around their property. I will say that this was a new way to celebrate Christmas for me.

Keren’s mom cooked us a delicious dinner. It was a true feast. Along with Keren’s parents we dined with six of their closest friends and some boys from the orphanage. Although I couldn’t really understand the conversation it was nice to be included in such a special gathering.

Not surprisingly, Christmas Eve is a HUGE night for fireworks here. Somehow we managed to stay awake until midnight, when we, along with I think every other person in Managua, set them off. I felt like I was in a war zone.

Clearly, Christmas is celebrated very differently here than at home. Although Nicaragua is a very strong and open Catholic country the religious aspect of Christmas seems to be minimal in importance. Also, while (fake) Christmas trees and Christmas lights are fairly common, gift exchanging doesn’t seem to be too common. Due to the weather, fireworks, and pace of the evening, last night felt much more like the Fourth of July than Christmas.

Although I miss my family and our Christmas traditions greatly I am glad that I could experience a Nicaraguan Christmas. I am so blessed to have such great friends here who could make the evening so special.