Christmas Time?

Christmas really seems to be sneaking up on me. Not for lack of preparedness: I started receiving Christmas packages from my mom (complete with wrapped presents/stockings: MIT maroon for Marvin, Dartmouth green for me) over a month ago, we decorated our fake tree with tinsel 2 weeks ago, I’ve downloaded over 100 Christmas songs to my iTunes, and I’ve even read a relevant Bible verse or two. So what it really just comes down to…is HOW EXACTLY AM I SUPPOSED TO GET INTO THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT IF IT’S 70 DEGREES OUTSIDE?

Don’t get me wrong…the weather here is absolutely lovely. I’m pretty sure I could actually be perfectly happy living here my whole life and never suffer through another frigid New England February or a humid July. The problem is, I don’t think I’d realize I’d been here my whole life until my hair started graying or…those other growing old things started happening. Until I look in the mirror and realize that I’m old, I’m quite sure I’d go on believing that I only arrived one week ago because everything still feels like August, so it must still be August.

Because that is exactly the feelings I’m dealing with right now. Even though the weeks themselves – or the days, hours and minutes – sometimes proceed excruciatingly slowly, I look back at the end of each month and just wonder “How the hell did another month just go by?? How is it already September/October/November/December? Oh my!” I swear time in Rwanda goes faster than time elsewhere. Partially because we’re at the equator; so each day that the earth turns, my body goes like twice the distance/speed that it did in NH – so y’know, my frame of reference is off. And partially because my body is convinced that it is still August, so I’m having a hard time convincing my mind of anything else.

Nonetheless, here are some pictures of celebrating Christmas in 70 degree weather…the crazy thing that that is:

Our lovely, decorated Christmas tree. Note the presents and stockings from my Mommy. Once upon a time there were Candy Canes decorating the tree and the stockings. They have dissappeared. One of my housemates has the diet of an elf and starts eating chocolate/candy at 9am every day...the candy canes did not stand a chance.

So pretty when it's lit up! (I wonder what's happening to our electricity bill.)

Showing off my homemade PEANUTBUTTER BALLS! We ended up deciding to hide them during the Christmas Party becuase there were too many people and we kinda wanted them all for ourselves. OH MY GOODNESS I JUST REMEMBERED that I hid 3 for Amy and never gave them to her...I HAVE THREE MORE! It's like (a) Christmas (party) all over again!

At the CCHIPs Christmas Party at Volcana -- my fave bar. With Peace Corps Amy and Peace Corps Jess. (Jess lives in Kigali and is drinking water in this picture, that's why you don't hear about her too often.) Note the Rwandan earrings that Jess is wearing. Let me know if you want.

Marvin and I are just *so excited* for the CCHIPs Christmas party -- but Marvin is way better at hiding his enthusiasm than I am. GREAT NEWS: Note the difference in hair between this picture and the previous one. That's becuase we FOUND A HAIRDRYER in the CCHIPs house. (These pictures are not in sequential order.) I am now looking good every day (that I shower = 3 days a week).