24! It’s a nice number.
Where to begin…let’s start with the morning. I got up, made myself some pancakes and treated myself to a hot bucket bath. I love hot bucket baths (I’m serious).
From there, it was off to the office. I got there and got all the congrats. They usually said congrats and not happy birthday. It was kinda weird, but cool. I spent the day just chillin. Heidy treated me to lunch…hmmm…free lunch.
In the afternoon I got another surprise. I was sitting on my desk, cause I prefer sitting on my desk then in the chair, when Luis Ernesto came up and was like, “Don Justo wants to see you...something about the Peace Corps”. So, I went down and heard more noise coming from his office. When I walked in, everyone was there and they all stood up and started singing happy birthday! They even bought me a cake! Hmmm…cake. It was really nice.
So, then I was suppose to go play softball, but the teacher I had been waiting for all day never came. That made it to late to go play softball. I hear there were 14 women! That’s huge. I think Rosie rounded up that many to play for me, so…I kinda feel bad that I didn’t make it over there. But, such is life.
I pretty much spent the afternoon chillin at Iris’s place. Till around 6ish when we headed over to Sonia’s place. They blind folded me and led me to her backyard. Which was funny cause they had obviously never led someone who was blindfolded. They forgot to mention steps, hammocks and other obstacles. But, I made it. And when they un-blindfolded me, there were a bunch a friends shouting happy birthday! Another surprise! It was great. They had turkey, rice and some sort of vegetable thing. Then cake, ice cream and the cookies I made. It was great…really great.
That night I had my first Salvadorian sleepover. Heidy lives out in the cantons, and by the time the party ended, it was dark. It’s not always the safest thing to travel down here when it is dark. So, she stayed with me. It was a little weird, but it worked out.
I also opened my package from Mom and Dad after La Fea (my soap opera). I love the Far Side. I got the little calendar that you rip off everyday…I know sit at my desk and giggle. My co-workers ask me what it means…but Gary Larson just can’t be translated and retain the same effect. I’m also pretty sure it’s not their sense of humor. I shouldn’t say that, it can be the sense of humor of some, but not as a whole. I also got more sheets…I love sheets (for the bed). You can’t get nice sheets down here without them costing the world. And yes, in case you were wondering, I pay someone to wash my sheets. I just don’t have the arm muscle, nor the skill to do it. Plus, it only costs a buck.
I continued my fun throughout the weekend. On Friday, I headed out to the capitol. I used the excuse of handing in the computer applications. Side note: I have two schools participating in the program for a total of 15 computers. I was disappointed that one school that stated that it would participate never showed up with the application. All well.
Otherwise, I just kinda hung around with all the other volunteers. I went and saw a movie and then had Pizza Hut for dinner…high living.
Saturday. I caught a ride and headed up to the soccer match in Morizan. I love rides. It was with Allison…she is a PC employee/volunteer. A little tough to explain, but just trust me that she’s all-good. Once there, I actually played soccer. Which would explain why I’m in pain now…but that is beside the point. We lost, but only by 3 goals. Which is huge since half the team was like me…inexperienced. The boys only lost by 1. You could tell the Salvos were getting mad that they weren’t winning by a stronger margin. It was kinda funny. After the fun of the games, we went back to a nice little hotel. The shower was warm, the food good and the beer cold. It was a nice way to end the evening. I slept like a rock.
Sunday was spent traveling. It’s about 7 hours to get from Perkin back to my little pueblito. And that about ends my birthday adventure.
All’s that’s left is to wait for some packages….I love packages
Monday, January 29, 2007
Saturday, January 20, 2007
I thought it was a good idea....
So, I thought it was a great idea to get speakers for my little office area. Heidy and I have been chillin sin musica for a few months now …so I thought it was about time. I bought a pair of $6 speakers and brought them to the office. I should of made sure she had a plentiful source of music first. I love ‘dust in the wind’, but how many times can I honestly listen to it in one day. She’s worse then Louise Ernesto (another guy who works in the office). But, at least it’s not Celine Dion’s ‘My heart will go on’, then I would snap.
My plan is to…when no one is watching…to load itunes on to her computer and then all my music…bwa ha ha ha ha!!! This insanity must end!
In other news…I’m starting work on my garden. So far… I’ve cleaned it out. No small task when one is scared of big bugs…but I did it! I also had the help of Myra. My next step is to get tomato crates and soil. The dirt in my back yard isn’t good for growing stuff…so I’m gonna go steal dirt from Don Justo (the mayor). Then it’s off to the agroservicio to buy some seeds. (Just went to the agroservicio and they gave them to me for free cause they found out I was a PCV! YEY) Maybe I’ll even go pick up some worms from the PC office. I figure I’ll grow the stuff in the boxes and lay down stuff between the boxes to help prevent bug infestations. Apparently, down here they are a lot more common…they don’t have the winter to kill off the little guys. I’m also waiting for the papayas to ripen in my backyard. Yup, I have a papaya tree. My friends can’t wait to steal them…and I’m ok with that. I can’t say I’m a huge papaya person.
Then there is softball, Iris has come back to the team! I think it is because Nina Chella (mother-in-law of Iris and owner of the pharmacy Iris is running) is telling Iris that she will not be coming back from the United States. Yes, she is there with a visa…not illegally. And I don’t think Iris likes the idea of spending the rest of her life in a little store...so…she’s coming back out to join the rest of the world.
Then there’s the environment. Olivia has decided to start work on the environment, since it is her job, and I’m going to help. We’re starting off with a survey of the urban area. Asking people what they do with their trash, how they cook, and things such at that.
My little computer thing is slowly moving along. Actually, while typing some of this, I am waiting for some of the teachers to come to fill out the application. I hope they decide to participate. Otherwise, it was just nice to get some face-to-face time with them and let them know whom I was and that I am here.
Alright..that’s all for now. Oh wait…5 DAYS TILL MY B-DAY!! Go me!
My plan is to…when no one is watching…to load itunes on to her computer and then all my music…bwa ha ha ha ha!!! This insanity must end!
In other news…I’m starting work on my garden. So far… I’ve cleaned it out. No small task when one is scared of big bugs…but I did it! I also had the help of Myra. My next step is to get tomato crates and soil. The dirt in my back yard isn’t good for growing stuff…so I’m gonna go steal dirt from Don Justo (the mayor). Then it’s off to the agroservicio to buy some seeds. (Just went to the agroservicio and they gave them to me for free cause they found out I was a PCV! YEY) Maybe I’ll even go pick up some worms from the PC office. I figure I’ll grow the stuff in the boxes and lay down stuff between the boxes to help prevent bug infestations. Apparently, down here they are a lot more common…they don’t have the winter to kill off the little guys. I’m also waiting for the papayas to ripen in my backyard. Yup, I have a papaya tree. My friends can’t wait to steal them…and I’m ok with that. I can’t say I’m a huge papaya person.
Then there is softball, Iris has come back to the team! I think it is because Nina Chella (mother-in-law of Iris and owner of the pharmacy Iris is running) is telling Iris that she will not be coming back from the United States. Yes, she is there with a visa…not illegally. And I don’t think Iris likes the idea of spending the rest of her life in a little store...so…she’s coming back out to join the rest of the world.
Then there’s the environment. Olivia has decided to start work on the environment, since it is her job, and I’m going to help. We’re starting off with a survey of the urban area. Asking people what they do with their trash, how they cook, and things such at that.
My little computer thing is slowly moving along. Actually, while typing some of this, I am waiting for some of the teachers to come to fill out the application. I hope they decide to participate. Otherwise, it was just nice to get some face-to-face time with them and let them know whom I was and that I am here.
Alright..that’s all for now. Oh wait…5 DAYS TILL MY B-DAY!! Go me!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
a little busy?!
Monday = crepe party… and man was it a huge success. I was a little bad and only invited people I actually talk to and not everyone in the alcaldia. What can I say, I just didn’t have enough for everyone and my house isn’t that big. Pretty much everyone who was invited, showed up. I had the crepes and chocolate from Belgium and I brought ice cream, whip cream, sugar, and strawberry jam (couldn’t find real strawberries in the store). I served coffee and everything. Surprisingly, they all loved the crepes. I say this because they usually don’t like any of the food I bring/make. In fact, Melina told me she was surprised she like the food, I told her I was too. The chocolate was an amazing success…I had to fight to keep some for myself. It was nice to have everyone over and having a good time, even if I couldn’t understand everything they were saying. They seemed to laugh a lot. I laughed every once and a while.
Tuesday wasn’t so bad, softball was fun. They all loved the new softball (thanks mom and dad) and it is now promptly filthy. When you play in a pasture, washing your hands afterward is a much…a big must. When we were done warming up, we played a small game against a bunch of boys that were nearby.
Wednesday, I had a wonderful opportunity….even though I had to wake up at 3:40 am to take advantage of it, it was well worth it. I went and visited Sam up at his site. In case you are wondering, he’s located up in a larger pueblo near Santa Anna. He has some engineers visiting from Engineers without Borders. I think the name is self-explanatory, but if not, they are like Doctors without Borders, but they design plans and sometime help construct. So, if your town needs a well, for instance, they come down, survey the land, determine the best spot to find water, to put a water tower and test the water once it is pumped. This group helped pay for the digging of the well, but not the system to pump or deliver the water…they will just design that. Anyway, they needed translators…so off I went. For most of the day, we went door to door doing a survey of the town. We asked things such as; how many people live there, the amount of water you use, what water you are drinking, where do you get your water, and how much would you be willing to pay for water to your house every month…those types of things. Sometimes it took me a few tries to get the message across, but overall, I don’t think I did half bad for my first attempt. Later that night, three of us took turns translating for the engineers during a town meeting. They were, basically, explaining what they were doing, why and what more to expect. I think the most humorous part came at the end. The engineers wanted to express their gratitude for all the community had done for them…such as providing housing and food for them. So, the engineer said, “I want to thank you for everything. It had been a life changing experiencing and your kindness had been overwhelming.” Now, Danielle (who was translating) could say all of that except none of us know the translation of overwhelming….so she when she got to that part she said, “no hay palabras para describirlo” = there aren’t words to describe it. Get it…funny right. Maybe you just had to be there. Anyway, anyone who could speak the two languages started laughing…those who knew only one were silent. Anyhow, after we all grabbed dinner and chilled for a little while. It was nice to talk to the engineers and get their opinions on El Salvador. I crashed hard that night.
Finally, that brings us to Friday (I know I skipped a day, nothing much happened). I had a meeting with the directors of schools about a computer project. It was a little confusing in the beginning because people were also coming from FISDEL for a meeting…so somehow, some of them wound up in my meeting and then people came late…but it all worked out in the end. In fact, it was a great meeting. I ran it by myself and was able to explain everything. Some even seem genuinely interested in participating.
Tuesday wasn’t so bad, softball was fun. They all loved the new softball (thanks mom and dad) and it is now promptly filthy. When you play in a pasture, washing your hands afterward is a much…a big must. When we were done warming up, we played a small game against a bunch of boys that were nearby.
Wednesday, I had a wonderful opportunity….even though I had to wake up at 3:40 am to take advantage of it, it was well worth it. I went and visited Sam up at his site. In case you are wondering, he’s located up in a larger pueblo near Santa Anna. He has some engineers visiting from Engineers without Borders. I think the name is self-explanatory, but if not, they are like Doctors without Borders, but they design plans and sometime help construct. So, if your town needs a well, for instance, they come down, survey the land, determine the best spot to find water, to put a water tower and test the water once it is pumped. This group helped pay for the digging of the well, but not the system to pump or deliver the water…they will just design that. Anyway, they needed translators…so off I went. For most of the day, we went door to door doing a survey of the town. We asked things such as; how many people live there, the amount of water you use, what water you are drinking, where do you get your water, and how much would you be willing to pay for water to your house every month…those types of things. Sometimes it took me a few tries to get the message across, but overall, I don’t think I did half bad for my first attempt. Later that night, three of us took turns translating for the engineers during a town meeting. They were, basically, explaining what they were doing, why and what more to expect. I think the most humorous part came at the end. The engineers wanted to express their gratitude for all the community had done for them…such as providing housing and food for them. So, the engineer said, “I want to thank you for everything. It had been a life changing experiencing and your kindness had been overwhelming.” Now, Danielle (who was translating) could say all of that except none of us know the translation of overwhelming….so she when she got to that part she said, “no hay palabras para describirlo” = there aren’t words to describe it. Get it…funny right. Maybe you just had to be there. Anyway, anyone who could speak the two languages started laughing…those who knew only one were silent. Anyhow, after we all grabbed dinner and chilled for a little while. It was nice to talk to the engineers and get their opinions on El Salvador. I crashed hard that night.
Finally, that brings us to Friday (I know I skipped a day, nothing much happened). I had a meeting with the directors of schools about a computer project. It was a little confusing in the beginning because people were also coming from FISDEL for a meeting…so somehow, some of them wound up in my meeting and then people came late…but it all worked out in the end. In fact, it was a great meeting. I ran it by myself and was able to explain everything. Some even seem genuinely interested in participating.
Epiphany
or Dia de los reye magi
They actually celebrate it! But not it a way that you would think. ..is it ever?
I met up with Racheal on Saturday to buy stuff for my crepe party (more on that later) and then we headed back to my site.
In the afternoon, the culture house put on a little show. They had games, like musical chairs, and dances by local children. It was cute and a lot of peole came out to see and participate.
After, Racheal went back to my place and I cooked up some chicken cutlets! (thanks mom, for the breadcrumbs). Heidy even came over. It was a nice dinner, a dinner I had over and over again. Gotta love left overs.
The most interesting part of the celebration was at night. It´s when the guys of the town dress up as women or monsters and dance. Actually, there is a pick-up that plays music. If you pay them a $1, you can see the guys dance for two songs. They danced from like 7:30ish till 1 or 2am. I went to bed before that. At the end of the night, all the guys split up the money. It was a fun evening.
They actually celebrate it! But not it a way that you would think. ..is it ever?
I met up with Racheal on Saturday to buy stuff for my crepe party (more on that later) and then we headed back to my site.
In the afternoon, the culture house put on a little show. They had games, like musical chairs, and dances by local children. It was cute and a lot of peole came out to see and participate.
After, Racheal went back to my place and I cooked up some chicken cutlets! (thanks mom, for the breadcrumbs). Heidy even came over. It was a nice dinner, a dinner I had over and over again. Gotta love left overs.
The most interesting part of the celebration was at night. It´s when the guys of the town dress up as women or monsters and dance. Actually, there is a pick-up that plays music. If you pay them a $1, you can see the guys dance for two songs. They danced from like 7:30ish till 1 or 2am. I went to bed before that. At the end of the night, all the guys split up the money. It was a fun evening.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
And I´m back
Thursday afternoon my Alcaldia sent a ride for me. How awesome is that! No bus with all that heavy luggage.
So, when I got back everyone was glad to see me. It was really quite nice. They all wanted to see photos and give hugs. Which I welcomed. Iris even made me dinner that night.
She also helped me set out poison for the rats.....I´ve had enough of them. I didn´t hear them last night and I´m hoping they went behind the house to die. Though Sonia said she would come over and dispose of any carcasses I found.
Friday was spent cleaning my house mostly. You know your house is dirty when it takes you about 5 hours to clean a one room place. I had brought everything inside while I was away and it all got covered in dust and spider webs. But, now I´m settled back in.
I also went and picked up a package on Friday. It was from my old place of work...Beacon Planning. It was a great surprise. Love the tea!
That brings me to today. Just chillin at the market, buying pirated music and vegetables. I also managed to get love tapped by a police pick-up. I´m fine. They were trying to get past a bus, slowly...but nipped me. Well, mostly my backpack that I wear on the side, but a little of me. I think I´ll take some aspirin.
Alright, time to head off. The next entry will be about the Epiphany...they celebrate it and I hear in a interesting fashion......
So, when I got back everyone was glad to see me. It was really quite nice. They all wanted to see photos and give hugs. Which I welcomed. Iris even made me dinner that night.
She also helped me set out poison for the rats.....I´ve had enough of them. I didn´t hear them last night and I´m hoping they went behind the house to die. Though Sonia said she would come over and dispose of any carcasses I found.
Friday was spent cleaning my house mostly. You know your house is dirty when it takes you about 5 hours to clean a one room place. I had brought everything inside while I was away and it all got covered in dust and spider webs. But, now I´m settled back in.
I also went and picked up a package on Friday. It was from my old place of work...Beacon Planning. It was a great surprise. Love the tea!
That brings me to today. Just chillin at the market, buying pirated music and vegetables. I also managed to get love tapped by a police pick-up. I´m fine. They were trying to get past a bus, slowly...but nipped me. Well, mostly my backpack that I wear on the side, but a little of me. I think I´ll take some aspirin.
Alright, time to head off. The next entry will be about the Epiphany...they celebrate it and I hear in a interesting fashion......
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Belgium
So, my travels started at about 4am on the 26th of December. That is when the pastor came and gave me a ride to the airport. From El Salvador I went to Miami, where I bought lunch and nearly went into shock at the price. From Miami, I went to Frankfurt in Germany and then to Belgium. In total it was about 20 or more hours traveling...ouch. But it was well worth it because everyone was waiting for me at the airport. It was sweet!
We spent that afternoon exploring Brussels and trying not to fall asleep. It was just such a change. Seeing a country developed and striving. To see a place with such a history. It was so beautiful and so overwhelming. It was just so great to see everyone.
That evening we all just stayed together and ate Chinese. I unpacked a little and unfortunately found out that the majority of the pottery I brought with me had broken. But, thankfully, not the wedding present. That night I took a long, long hot shower and snuggled into a comfortable bed with a comfortable comforter.
The next morning I woke up and had no idea where I was. I didn't mind, but still had no idea where I was. Then Maryann said something, and I thought, 'Maryann's here! how sweet!'. It was weird and quite humorous. My sister was good and brought plenty of clothes. I robbed her of some, heck...right now I'm sitting in her jeans and t-shirt. How great is that! We just spent the day getting ready for the wedding. The four ladies (Tory, Jessie, Maryann and I) were a little overdressed for the occasion...apparently this was a little more informal of a wedding. We didn't care, it was an occasion to dress up. The wedding took place at the town hall? I'm not sure if that was what is was called or not. It was a quick ceremony...I think Aunt Ann spent more time signing papers then the actually ceremony took.
Then it was time for the castle. Who has a reception in a castle...they do and it was awesome! The food was to die for and the dancing lasted till the am hours. Ann and Greta have great friends and coworkers. They didn't give us to much info or dirt on them, but they did have some great stories. During the middle of the night, Greta's family put on a little skit..a song if you will. It was YMCA with new words. I wish I could sing in multiple languages. Overall, it was just great to see Aunt Ann so happy. After, I got to drive her car back to the house. I haven't driven in 7 months so to say it was fun is an understatement. I managed not to crash into anything.
The next day we all packed up and went the the Belgian shore. The adults in one house, kids in another and friends in a third. We all congregated in the parents house for food and fun. It was just three days spent exploring local towns (like Brugge and the beach) and even a display of ice carvings...which was quite spectacular. I also got the rest of my Christmas gifts....i am a spoiled rotten child. It's wonderful.
Before I knew it, it was time to go. It was about 24 hours to get back. We (Mom, Dad, Maryann and I) got up a little earlier then the rest cause my flight was earlier. Getting on that plane was incredibly difficult. Mostly cause I'm not sure of the next time I'll see them... especially Aunt Ann and Greta. The flights were long and security a little tedious at time. The security in Germany isn't messing around. They hand wand and pat down everyone. And it wasn't a cursory pat down...they were checking. I also had my ipod speakers tested for explosives. The guys at customs in the US thought it was bad ass that El Salvador was my country of residence...they also guessed I was Peace Corps. Go figure. I got in a little late, but managed to grab a taxi and get to the hostel. Thankfully, other volunteers were there to hang out with. So, now I'm chilling in San Salvador. My town hall is gonna send a car for me tomorrow...free ride! I bought some chocolate to bring back as gifts along with crepes...we'll see if they like them!
We spent that afternoon exploring Brussels and trying not to fall asleep. It was just such a change. Seeing a country developed and striving. To see a place with such a history. It was so beautiful and so overwhelming. It was just so great to see everyone.
That evening we all just stayed together and ate Chinese. I unpacked a little and unfortunately found out that the majority of the pottery I brought with me had broken. But, thankfully, not the wedding present. That night I took a long, long hot shower and snuggled into a comfortable bed with a comfortable comforter.
The next morning I woke up and had no idea where I was. I didn't mind, but still had no idea where I was. Then Maryann said something, and I thought, 'Maryann's here! how sweet!'. It was weird and quite humorous. My sister was good and brought plenty of clothes. I robbed her of some, heck...right now I'm sitting in her jeans and t-shirt. How great is that! We just spent the day getting ready for the wedding. The four ladies (Tory, Jessie, Maryann and I) were a little overdressed for the occasion...apparently this was a little more informal of a wedding. We didn't care, it was an occasion to dress up. The wedding took place at the town hall? I'm not sure if that was what is was called or not. It was a quick ceremony...I think Aunt Ann spent more time signing papers then the actually ceremony took.
Then it was time for the castle. Who has a reception in a castle...they do and it was awesome! The food was to die for and the dancing lasted till the am hours. Ann and Greta have great friends and coworkers. They didn't give us to much info or dirt on them, but they did have some great stories. During the middle of the night, Greta's family put on a little skit..a song if you will. It was YMCA with new words. I wish I could sing in multiple languages. Overall, it was just great to see Aunt Ann so happy. After, I got to drive her car back to the house. I haven't driven in 7 months so to say it was fun is an understatement. I managed not to crash into anything.
The next day we all packed up and went the the Belgian shore. The adults in one house, kids in another and friends in a third. We all congregated in the parents house for food and fun. It was just three days spent exploring local towns (like Brugge and the beach) and even a display of ice carvings...which was quite spectacular. I also got the rest of my Christmas gifts....i am a spoiled rotten child. It's wonderful.
Before I knew it, it was time to go. It was about 24 hours to get back. We (Mom, Dad, Maryann and I) got up a little earlier then the rest cause my flight was earlier. Getting on that plane was incredibly difficult. Mostly cause I'm not sure of the next time I'll see them... especially Aunt Ann and Greta. The flights were long and security a little tedious at time. The security in Germany isn't messing around. They hand wand and pat down everyone. And it wasn't a cursory pat down...they were checking. I also had my ipod speakers tested for explosives. The guys at customs in the US thought it was bad ass that El Salvador was my country of residence...they also guessed I was Peace Corps. Go figure. I got in a little late, but managed to grab a taxi and get to the hostel. Thankfully, other volunteers were there to hang out with. So, now I'm chilling in San Salvador. My town hall is gonna send a car for me tomorrow...free ride! I bought some chocolate to bring back as gifts along with crepes...we'll see if they like them!
Christmas and Beyond!
So, Christmas wasn't that bad down here. I got up in the morning (always a good start) and checked out a carrera de cintas. I was even a godmother, which means I brought a little present and gave it to one of the riders who succeeded in getting the stick through the loop. I decided to bring a gift at the last possible moment...meaning that Iris had to whip something up for me. It turned out that the guy who won was a boy and he grabbed the present and ran. I think I scared him a little bit.
After that I headed back to my place and started cooking up some desserts. I started off with
easy bake brownies (thank you Maryann) and continued on to double chocolate chunk cookies (thank you Grandma). I then just went and chilled over at Iris's place. She was cooking up some chicken and rice and such. We kinda ate quickly and not quite as a group. But that's ok. It was still nice.
I then...being the good little Ehlen I am....went to Christmas Mass. Of course the family calls during the middle of the homily. So I ran out to say hi and tell them to call back. That mass went on forever. I skipped out after it ended but before everyone went up to kiss the baby Jesus. That's when I started calling the fam. It was difficult because the lines were so saturated with people trying to call that I could only talk to them for a few minutes.
Then came the presents...it was sweet. Everyone wanted to know what was in those big packages I received. (in case you don't know, my incredible parents and amazing siblings sent me huge packages). Yes...everyone was jealous. Unfortunatly, the italian bread crumbs mom sent me (which I asked for...I love those things!) exploded over everything. So, everything has an italian bread crumb smell...which I enjoy. I did manage to save the majority of the crumbs by tapping the box to one side and pouring them out. They're still good!
After all the present fun, we went to Nina Chens house (mother of Don Justo) to hang with some family. They made this dessert of jello and flan. I enjoy the jello, not the flan. There was a little boy there (grandson of Don Justo) there, he kept crying over something. And the sister of Don Justo took a belt and hit him to make him be quite. I found it quite disturbing. And there was another guy (I forget his name, but he is part of the family and was just visiting from the US), he turned to me and said in english, 'that's not something your use to, right?'. He didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable so that's why he spoke in english...but he was right.
After that we just went over and hanged with Sonia. It was just a chill evening. Well...as long as you could ignore the fireworks. I crashed at around 12:30ish.
Christmas Day wasn't spent doing very much. I finished up packing for Belgium and cleaned my house out. I brought everything inside except the fridge. In the afternoon, I went with Iris and fam to the beach. It was so nice. It was actually a resort where there was a small water park with slide and then then ocean. Yes...I swam everywhere. The shocking part was that the ocean water was the warmest water I've been in in this country...that is including most showers!
I then watched my last Fea Mas Bella of the year and went to bed....that brings us to Europa!!
After that I headed back to my place and started cooking up some desserts. I started off with
easy bake brownies (thank you Maryann) and continued on to double chocolate chunk cookies (thank you Grandma). I then just went and chilled over at Iris's place. She was cooking up some chicken and rice and such. We kinda ate quickly and not quite as a group. But that's ok. It was still nice.I then...being the good little Ehlen I am....went to Christmas Mass. Of course the family calls during the middle of the homily. So I ran out to say hi and tell them to call back. That mass went on forever. I skipped out after it ended but before everyone went up to kiss the baby Jesus. That's when I started calling the fam. It was difficult because the lines were so saturated with people trying to call that I could only talk to them for a few minutes.
Then came the presents...it was sweet. Everyone wanted to know what was in those big packages I received. (in case you don't know, my incredible parents and amazing siblings sent me huge packages). Yes...everyone was jealous. Unfortunatly, the italian bread crumbs mom sent me (which I asked for...I love those things!) exploded over everything. So, everything has an italian bread crumb smell...which I enjoy. I did manage to save the majority of the crumbs by tapping the box to one side and pouring them out. They're still good!
After all the present fun, we went to Nina Chens house (mother of Don Justo) to hang with some family. They made this dessert of jello and flan. I enjoy the jello, not the flan. There was a little boy there (grandson of Don Justo) there, he kept crying over something. And the sister of Don Justo took a belt and hit him to make him be quite. I found it quite disturbing. And there was another guy (I forget his name, but he is part of the family and was just visiting from the US), he turned to me and said in english, 'that's not something your use to, right?'. He didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable so that's why he spoke in english...but he was right.
After that we just went over and hanged with Sonia. It was just a chill evening. Well...as long as you could ignore the fireworks. I crashed at around 12:30ish.
Christmas Day wasn't spent doing very much. I finished up packing for Belgium and cleaned my house out. I brought everything inside except the fridge. In the afternoon, I went with Iris and fam to the beach. It was so nice. It was actually a resort where there was a small water park with slide and then then ocean. Yes...I swam everywhere. The shocking part was that the ocean water was the warmest water I've been in in this country...that is including most showers!
I then watched my last Fea Mas Bella of the year and went to bed....that brings us to Europa!!
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