Though Habiba is making remarkable strides with her crutches, we decided that the trip to the beach may be a few strides too much, and thus we decided that Christmas would have to be celebrated in our home in Makong’onda. My Peace Corps family that did not have previous engagements with their significant others (in other words, the awesome single people in my PC family) decided to also give up their dreams of Christmas on the beach and instead hike out to Makong’onda, to create a Christmas like no other in the vill. This was Habiba’s first “celebrated/American” Christmas, and we wanted to make sure that we were able to teach her as many traditions as possible!
The party started when Laura, hailing from Nanganga, arrived in the rain after a ride on our lori Christmas Eve. She brought Christmas cheer in the form of construction paper and a huge block of cheese. Habiba and I had baked her a cake as a belated birthday present so we ate cheese and chocolate cake (after cooking Habiba a “real dinner”) while we cut out snowflakes and strung them on the indoor clothes lines. After Habiba was asleep, we kept decorating, adding to the Christmas tree JB (volunteer, Nakarara) had hung the day before, and wrapping Christmas presents, including items that went into a stocking for Habiba (our favorite present being “hair relaxing gel” which Habiba loves, though she shaves her head…). The night was magical, with us consuming copious amounts of Coke and cheese, and my kitten Bonge (Kiswahili for fattie) catching her first rat (after being thrown in its general direction by me) and then bringing it straight into the house, where she could show it off to Laura and better enjoy playing with it (but not eating it) in the electricity, until she and her playmate were thrown out of the house.
Christmas day came with more rain clouds (more revered here that snow on Christmas in America) and more volunteers, with JB and Kristy (volunteer Namiyonga) arriving after their Christmas church service in Nakarara. Following JB and Kristy from church was a huge rainstorm, which sent us scrambling to put all of the charcoal stoves into the house. Our festively decorated house was added to by the Christmas music from Kristy’s iPod, which we sang along to as we cooked stuffing, mashed potatoes, eggplant parmesan, biscuits, and a ton of desserts (more than the normal food). We finished cooking, ate, and once we were able to move again (food coma) we planted beans in my garden when the rain stopped (never miss a rain opportunity).
Habiba had her first experience with a Christmas tree (though a paper one taped to the wall), Christmas food (though we had to cook her some food of her own so that she would eat), and Christmas presents/stockings (her favorite part of Christmas), all of which she enjoyed and good-naturedly went along with. When we were getting ready for bed that night, I asked her what her favorite part of Christmas was, and she replied that it was the fun and laughter that we shared with the other volunteers all day…in other words, the Christmas spirit, which everyone, even Muslims who don’t necessarily celebrate the holiday, can share. It was one of my most memorable Christmases, and I look forward even more to the new opportunities and possibilities that the new year will bring.
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