Christmastime!

Advent is here, and we're all busy preparing for Christmas. The weather has cooled down remarkably (finally!) and now we enjoy days of about 84 degrees and nights of about 72. It's become fairly windy here, which Father Guelmi told me is typical of the season. (The winds are called The Christmas Breezes.) Even though we've had our plastic Christmas tree out for weeks, we finally got around to decorating it last week:


It's always fun to decorate a tree, but I felt a little funny doing it in a t-shirt and bare feet! I made a few paper snowflakes with loops of thread to hang on the tree as a decoration contribution. They twist and blow in The Christmas Breezes coming through the open window - a pretty effect.

For supper that night, we had traditional Christmastime food: Pasteles en Ojas (roughly Pies in Leaves). During December, the streets are filled with vendors selling pasteles. Last week, ours came from a batch Grandma made, and they were delicious. The pies are made by mashing plantain with other ingredients like flour to create a semi-gelatinous skin. The inside is stuffed with ground meat, beans, and spices. The whole thing is wrapped in a big plantain leaf, tied with string, and boiled until cooked. Here are some pictures of cooking and eating Grandma's pasteles last week.

Just after boiling - ready to be cut open

Father Guelmi cuts open a pastel

Inside view of the meat and beans... Mmmm.

Advent Calendars are not really done here, so I had my Dad bring a couple in November. Now there's one hanging in our living room and one in the clinic, and everybody seems very pleased with them. It's fun to be able to contribute something different from home, and be able to experience the traditions here in turn. On Christmas Eve (la Buena Noche), we'll have a special meal involving pork (I haven't been able to figure out all the details yet). On both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we'll go to special services at church. But big family gatherings and presents are saved for Jan. 6th, El Dia de Reyes, when the three kings arrived bearing gifts. I am so grateful for the wonderful family I live with here - this promises to be a special holiday season!