9 December 2012

Everyone is excited about Navidad, in fact the stores have had their Christmas  stuff out for 2 1/2 months.  We've been "decking the hall" at the Institute with whatever we could round up from the closet.  No budget for anything new.  I reminded the secretary that my talents do not lie in the area of crafty, cutesy, come-up-with-ideas...y kinds of things but between us we did pretty well.  Here's a sample.  Not too bad for the craft-challenged-many-times-called-but-never-really-happy-about-it-homemaking leader! :)  Thankfully, the students helped and they love this kind of stuff!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

The joy of Christmas for me has always been music.  The students have been singing carols in their classes since October 1st.  The Spanish lyrics are coming, albeit slowly.  Mostly the tunes are unrecognizable though when they sing without the piano which is 90% of the time...seriously sometimes it takes a whole song before they're singing the right tune and have all landed on the same general pitch...so I'm still missing the joy of Christmas!  But thankfully, we have our ipods loaded up with our favorite Christmas play lists so we decorated our very Caribbean Christmas tree whilst listening to "Scrooge" and Johnny Mathis.  I loved it!  Memories of Christmases gone by. 

 

Our Charlie Brown tree is pretty cute. :)

 

 

 

I had to find some orange balls to match my very orange drapes.  Mama would be proud!

  



Our walk yesterday was around the Catholic University campus with all it's fine greenery...it's hard to think that it's cold and maybe snowy in Utah!  But, as we streamed Music and Spoken Word today after we got home from church (I love the 3-hour time difference for that reason!) it was fabulous to hear the real sounds of Christmas that bring me joy and to see the winter wonderland in pictures.  Made me very grateful for the Internet and BYUTV (yes, Billy!)  

This morning we woke to the sound of "dueling roosters."  One had a particularly sore throat and was way, way off key!  I guess the roosters are tone deaf too!  And their cousins were serenading us at church during the Sacrament Meeting.  I prayed very hard to keep my focus where it should be.  The windows and doors are always open with a dozen ceiling fans going so we don't suffocate and the sounds of the city...horns a-blowing, roosters a-crowing, children laughing, people passing...it's Navidad in the city! 



 


Beautiful little capilla.  We visit a different one each week. 

 

 Notice the contrast in the building next door.

 

 

The little boy below brought his hula hoop to church.  I got a cute video of him in the chapel before Primary.  Children are the same everywhere! 

 

 

 

On our way to church off the busy main thoroughfare we see dirt streets like this where so many people live.  And then there's the garbage dump with its scavengers. 

 

It always shocks me and I feel so sad but  grateful at the same time.  There's a little boy and his mother we see often begging on the street corner and I like to have crackers to give him.  They tell us not to give money to the beggars...it's hard not to but I understand why.  The crackers always make him smile. 

It was my great pleasure recently to borrow a violin and play a duet with the master herself...Hermana Becky Douglas, the concert violinist turned Mission President's wife. 

 

How very generous of her to let me string along.  Such a treat for me.  I'm going to try to get my violin down here because she said she'll give me some lessons!  When...I have no idea because she's the busiest woman in Santiago, but even one would be fabulous.  I especially love that I have a new title now...a violinist!  (Not really, there's a BIG difference between playing the violin and being a violinist) but hey, I'll take it!  I'm happy to be known for more than just galletas (cookies).  Bill and I made and baked 450 oatmeal raisin cookies on Friday for a Stake event for our director's wife.  Thankfully we got to use the Institute oven and Sister Breton brought her Kitchen Aid mixer.  The 250 cookies we made a month ago were totally by hand.  Who knew creaming shortening and sugar together was so good for the biceps!  And no wonder our little grandmothers were never smiling in their pictures!!! :)  Cooking in the 19th century is hard work!

The fumigator came this week.  Thank you!  Now picture this...he comes all decked out in a gas mask and HASMAT gear and we sit there like 2-legged dopes ready to be gassed to death.  I can see the headlines now...."Neighbors complain of stench in apartment next door.  Investigators find missionary couple dead.  Cause of death, unknown.  Bodies showed signs of decay but no apparent struggle.  And amazingly...not one roach or maggot in sight!"   :)

 

 

Surrounded by such greenery, it's hard to believe Christmas is coming...but we are in paradise!

So "Life is fine, life is good, 'specially mine which is just as it should be!" A December to remember...with more to come.