Making Cookies, Sharing Cultures

The Christmas season is finally upon us! Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of the year. There's the lights, decorations, trees, the music, tons of parties, amazingly delicious food!, the friends and family you haven't seen in awhile, the 24 hour A Christmas Story marathon, and of course the joy and the mystery of that night long ago in Bethlehem. As I'm not spending Christmas this year with my family and friends back home, I find myself trying to recognize similar traditions here or I'm trying to bring in traditions of my own to share with my new friends. So far I've found many similarities between Christmas in Huanuco and Christmas in Oklahoma. There are still lights, trees, decorations on almost every stationary surface, lots of parties, presents, Christmas songs, nativity scenes, and the joy of season. But there are still a few things I miss: radio stations playing non-stop Christmas music, cold weather (we've been switching back and forth between it being hot or it being rainy and just a little bit cooler), Dad's cinnamon rolls, really any delicious Christmas homemade treat (and this does include Aunt Carmen's woopie pies), Advent Wreaths, The Crismon Tree, Christmas pajamas, Christmas Eve Candlelight service, and of course all those who are near and dear to me. But missing out on these things is a necessary sacrifice for the chance to learn and share in new traditions.

 

One tradition of my own that I recently had the chance to share with my new Peruvian friends was making sugar cookies with the group of girls I work with at Paz y Esperanza. For the past few years my contribution to many holiday gatherings was frosted sugar cookies. Now I think it should be common knowledge that one of my weaknesses is pretty much anything sweet, doughy, or with frosting. As the Christmas season draws closer I think my body has become accustomed to the influx of sweets and around Thanksgiving begins to crave these delicious treats that are usually only indulged in during the holidays. So when I was in Lima celebrating our day of thanks, I found a rare piece of American contraband – Betty Crocker vanilla frosting! I, of course had to buy it, and I decided that I would try to find some way to make sugar cookies to go with this icing and share them with my new Peruvian friends.

The Chicas Tamar is a group that I work with on Saturday afternoons making art projects as part of their therapy and this particular Saturday we were working on a Nativity play and as a special treat I decided to make the cookies for the girls and have them decorate them. The night before my host sister, Carla, and I went out to the Mercado in search of all the ingredients we would need. The task was easier said than done. Apparently people in Huanuco don't just bake for fun. Really only the Panadarias (bakeries) make things like cookies and breads, and when you don't have a stove and there is a Panadaria on every street corner why would ever need to bake things for yourself. So we finally acquired all the ingredients necessary after a bit of a hunt, and I prepared the dough that night so it could chill in the fridge until morning.

The next day I went to help out with the girls with their play, in which I was given the role of Mustafar, an innkeeper who turns away Mary and Joseph. They girls all clapped for me when I got my lines right, haha. Then while they were rehearsing I baked the cookies with my co-worker, Beky, and I had one of those rare moments where my Spanish was just clicking and she and I had some nice bonding time. When the cookies were all cut and baked, over 150 of them actually, the girls gathered around the table in the kitchen to decorate them. At first they weren't really sure what was going, in fact they asked me if we were selling the cookies, but when I told them they were for eating and for sharing with their families their shy caution turned into joyous fervor as they frosted each of their cookies and liberally added sprinkles and colored sugar. For me it was a wonderful experience to see these girls get wrapped up in the joy of making these sweet treats and I hope that it was for them as it was for me a temporary escape from the stresses and frustrations and pressures of life.

 

Well I was hoping to share a bit more about the holiday traditions here and what I've been up to the past few weeks, but like always I've procrastinated. I promise I will add more to this post later and tell you all about Paneton, hot chocolate, late Christmas dinner, and no Christmas Eve service. I'm off on vacation tomorrow, first to Arequipa with the other YAVs, and then to Cuzco and Machu Picchu with my family! I hope that everyone had a most wonderful holiday season! I miss you all, especially at this time of year, but I'll be back home before I know it, missing everyone in Peru. Until then I will leave you with this, Feliz Navidad a todos mis cariños y un Prospero Año!!!

Truely Thankful

Our Thanksgiving Day Spread!!

With Thanksgiving just behind us and Christmas fast approaching I thought I would get into the spirit of the season and share with you some of the things I'm thankful for in my life.

Servings for everyone

First of all ** BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!** I've reached my fundraising goal!!! So that is the first thing I am grateful. All the overwhelmingly humbling financial support I've recieved. I'm astonished that people have given so freely from their hearts and I'm truely thankful!

Harry, expertly carving our beautifully cooked turkey

Now on to my thankful list:

*The weather in Huanuco. The sunshine and warm breezes that acompany me on my daily walks have helped me more than I can say in adjusting to life here and helping to stave off the loneliness, blues, and homesickness, that comes from living so far away from everything I've ever known.

* Cold Coca-Colas. Even though they apparently give you the gripe (a cold), there is still something satisfying about the familiar taste and refreshment of a good old Coke (even if it's not diet)!

*My host family. I could not have asked for a nicer, more understanding, more chill, more patient family than the Camarenas. I'm lucky to have a host dad who is always willing to help me out, whether it's telling me safe routes to and from work or coming with me to a visit a new church because I had never been there before. My host mom, not only prepares delicious peruvian dishes every breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but she does so usually after spending all day either volunteering at Paz y Esperanza or the church. And my host sister is my guide to Peruvian culture, my spanish language teacher, and my newest friend. Everyday I thank God that they've been put in my life and I know that they are big reason I'm adjusting to and loving my life here in Huanuco.

*The people at Paz y Eperanza. As I'm slowing making relationships with the people I work with I am realizing what truely amazing people they all are. Just the fact that they at Paz y Esperanza, working to educate and save women and children from truly horrifying situations, working tirelessly to give voices to those who in their society have none, says so much about their characters. And everyday they inspire me; inspire me to work on my spanish so I can better communicate, inspire me to listen and to educate myself, and inspire me to do whatever I can to contribute to the work at Paz, even if that means handing out refreshments or dressing up in a guinea pig costume.

*Nap time at lunch. Maybe because my mind get such a work out from listening to and trying to speak spanish but still having to translate in my head, but every week day after lunch I get a chance to take about 45 min to an hour nap before I have to head back to work (lunch break is from 1 until 3 in the afternoon). It's become such a relaxing little ritual for me to just shut down for a good hour and let my body and my mind take a break so I can get through the rest of the day.

*Skype. Definitely one of the better inventions in recent years. Being so far away from has been made that much better by the fact that I still get to regularly communicate and even see my family and friends. I even think it's made some of my relationships stronger by the fact that since I am so far and am making an intention effort to communicate as a result we not only talk about what's going on in our everyday lives but we have meaningful conversations as well, and that's definitely a wonderful and unexpected blessing.

*My YAV friends and our fearless Coordinator. Sarah, Anna, Joe, Ginna, and Alissa, as well as Debbie and Harry. So many words, only so much blog space. In such a short amount of time these people have really become my second family here. From the silly text messages to the long rambling emails to the nights in Lima partaking in a indulgence or two or three or "floor".... ;) the support, solidarity, and love that I've recieved from you all is more than I can possibly repay, so THANK YOU!!!!

Good food, good friends, and good times!

*My experience here. Everyday that I'm here I'm realizing more and more, how lucky and blessed I am that I even get to be here and see the things I'm seeing and do the things that I am doing. I mean how many other people get to travel and try and live out their dreams or even figure out what those dreams are and do so in such a beautiful country. Some times I can barely believe I've been here for over 3 months and I can't wait to see what the rest of year has in store for me.

*Of course I am so greatful to all the congregations, family, and friends back home who have been following me and supporting me with your kind words and prayers. Keep them coming guys and THANKS!!!

*There are so many other things, back in the states that I'm greatful for, everything that I've been blessed with. But that's not what this year is about. Seeing what I have and what others have not, it's about learning and experiencing so that we can all live free and dignified lives, lives we were intended by our Heavenly Father to live.

Sorry I've been a bit neglectful with my posts. I'm going to try and get another one out this week. And as always please leave comments. What would you like me to write about? What are the kinds of things about Peru you would like to know about?