Melissa's Travels

hi all

well, i planned my trip to return to NY in time for a meeting on the 19th, to which no one showed up. Salt on the wound is that I had a very uncomfortable journey up to Sontule in the back of a pickup truck to be there. Now, the coffee picking has started so I can excuse the community members, but the organizations and universities signed copies of the invitations and still no show. bugger

anyway, I had great fun on the 21st, since Ana and Aracellis andKevin and I went around on horseback, delivering gifts to people. Some of them were things I bought, and some were the donations from Lucy's class, although I could not bring all of them. So picture me in a Santa hat, with 5 year old Kevin on a brown mare, with Ana and Ara on the white horse, with bags of presets, and Ara getting off the horse at the different houses and giving the gifts to the kids.

Ana and Ara and Isabel and Lesbia helped me for three hours the night before packing the gifts in paper. Just so you know, I used part of the money all my aunts and uncles gave me, plus some extra help from Aunt Joan to buy cute fleecy shirts for my immediate nica family and good friends (which is still like 25 people). I told them the gifts were from me and my family and they say THANKS!!

Lesbia had a little Xmas tree with ornaments she put up in Isabel's house, and Kevin washed all of his toy cars and put them under the tree. The night before last I p0ut their presents under the tree and after dinner we opened them. The cutest thing was that after everyone opened their gifts and looked at them, they very carefully packed them up in the paper again and put them under the tree because it looked so pretty. They all said they would unwrap them again after Christmas.

CHRISTMAS

So christmas here mainly centers on the 24th, with everyone gathering at a family house, you go to mass, stay up all night, and then there is a big buildup to midnight, when everyone celebrates the birth of christ, hug s and kisses, kind of like new years, and then there is a big dinner.

Well, I went to someones house for a little bit, and then went dancing at a really nice club all night. Its called Semaforo, Ive been there lots. Its a nice Rancho bar, which means its all outdoors, with thatch roofing and a big bar with a sort of western cowboy theme, a stage for live performances and a dance floor which is kind of small. We drank medios de Flor de Caña, where you get a bucket of ice, a cup of limes, a bottle of coke, and a half liter bottle of rum. Oh, and lots of cups to share. And i had tostones with cuajada which are twice fried plantains with farmers cheese. Yummy!

And so, like everyone else, I stayed up until 4am and spent oall of xmas day recovering. I went and had a nice lunch with Juanita and Leo, baby Zaira, and some of her friends

For the actualk night of the 24th, I went out with juanita, Leo, baby Zaira, Otoniel, Elizabeth, and Ervin, her boyfriend, to a discoteca. But its a rancho bar, so with a nice open area with tables under palapa, or thatched roofs. While the babay slept, we drank and danced the night away (well, no one drank too much, and Jane not at all, since shes breast feeding). At midnight everyone hugged and kissed, kind of like our new year

I hope you all have a very good holiday!!

# posted by m-mark @ 8:18 PM