Christmas Time

Christmas Time

Written on 12/26/2014

To say Christmas half way across the world was a little different is fairly obvious. But it was. Leading up to Christmas, I was feeling odd. It didn't feel like Christmas. I was sweating perfusively, I didn't feel rushed to buy Christmas presents, wasn't cramming for exams. I was just going about my regular routine, grading tests, teaching classes, helping out at the community center.

It some ways it was eye-opening. Just thinking about how much time and money people spend on shopping and decorating their homes to perfection. If everyone would spend half the time they spend putting lights up on their house to help others in need instead, the world would still be a little brighter place - and also much more energy efficient.

I remember seeing all these posts about "What Every 20-something wants for Christmas." Knowing how silly it would seem to look at it, so I avoided opening any of the links. All I wanted for Christmas was my few volunteer friends to get here safely and for the mail I've been waiting for for the past few months to magically arrive! I'm sure those things weren't on that list...

Luckily, my friends got here safely! (Unfortunately I'm still waiting on the mail...) We had a great time baking with a little convection oven I borrowed from my site mate and spent most of their time here making desserts and big meals and over-stuffing ourselves with American style foods.

Christmas here, culturally, is a little bit different, but also has similarities. Most of my community spent a lot of time at church, wearing the beautiful new outfits they had been shopping for over the past few weeks. Then they had a big meal with extended family. Some people went out to the country side to spend Christmas with their families, and other families had a lot of people come from the bigger cities to here. Some of my neighbors had family come in and the newest baby boy was baptized on Christmas Day.

Overall, it felt like a regular Sunday, but everyone was dressed a lot nicer and there wasn't the same people outside of my community. It was a nice day, and I had the opportunity to chat with my family from home which was nice. It was a little bit difficult to be away - but I know after these next few years are over I'll never experience a Christmas like this again!

My friends and I talked about it this morning, two Christmases from now I'll be thinking about this Christmas. How my friends and I prepared our baking ingredients and then sat around talking waiting for the electrity to come on. The lights would flash on and we would be running to get to work. On Christmas Day, Electricity was on all day!!

How a few days before Christmas, my friend Gabby was bitten by a Trambo ( a very large, very ugly, poisonous centipede) and we all startled awake. Half asleep I got my neighbors who searched my house and helped my friend by pressing toothpaste into the wound. Apparently, it is one of the most painful bites ever. Gabby said for about 20 hours it was like a constant pain and her hand (she was bit on the wrist) was swollen for just as long.

How we spent the next few days, a bit paranoid, searching the entire house for a Trambo before we went to sleep and shaking out every sleeping bag. Every noise was a little troublesome the next few nights at my house.

It was a wonderful Christmas. Definately a bit bittersweet. I think the most difficult part was just feeling okay with where I am. Happy where I am. But not feeling the same as I usually feel during Christmas. It wasn't the same nostalgic, warm, fuzzy feeling (Maybe because I don't think I could get any warmer!) I could remember the Christmases I always had at home, but it was impossible to dupilicate those memories! So instead I made my own.

 Reguardless, I know in my heart that I'd rather be here than anywhere else right now, and that my Christmas back home will be a part of my life sooner than I can even imagine. Time has really flown by and I know now that I'm really getting the hang of living here its only going to fly by even faster! So I'm going to always hold this very special Christmas close in my memories! How often does one have a Christmas in Madagascar?