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Happy New Year!
2011 is off to a great start for me. The holidays at PCC were really nice. Christmas Eve the Fra Fra group came to make some music for us, but they did not perform alone. Our caregivers were all dancing and singing with them from the beginning. The first of many Christmas parties! I went to church at midnight for the midnight mass I was told was happening, only to find the church in silence and darkness. It was just like when I arrived and noone could give you a straight answer about when mass is. But I made it Christmas morning and I would say we were only about 30 minutes late. Christmas day we had a party which meant dinner for everyone, including guests. We got to eat the goats for dinner! Not my favourite meat. And Father Christmas visited with gifts for everyone as well. I got 4 or 5 yards of fabric.
I was surprised to find that most things were open in town on Christmas day. It didn't seem like a big holiday. But because it was on a Saturday, Monday was a holiday and many things were closed then.
Boxing Day we put on our Christmas Pageant. It was a telling of the Christmas story one doesn't soon forget. There was much cheering around the baby Jesus, much dancing and singing, and much confetti being thrown. We were all dressed in costumes and traditional cloth. At the end, Baby Jesus is thrown into the air repeatedly and we all follow, singing and cheering for a while. We'd been practicing since the beginning of November, but the play I saw was unrecognizable from what I'd seen in practice. It was magnificent!
We also had a PCC football (soccer) match over the holidays. We had team jerseys to wear and the cheering, chanting and dancing before the game was almost as imortant as the match itself. It was a great experience to be part of a PCC football team! But they take their football seriously and it ended in a fight about whether or not the last, tie-breaking goal really was a goal.
There was a baptism over the holidays as well. This was a nice experience for the children that were new to PCC this summer.
New Year's Eve we had a bonfire. It was a lot of fun. The fire is really big to begin and the dancing around the fire continues until the flames are gone and you are left with only burning embers. Jeanette brought glow bracelets and sparklers from Holland and it was all very festive. Our own PCC choir performed as the fire died. It was our third performance and the best. Everyone was enthusiastic and it was a magical night. I wrang in the New Year at midnight with the other westerners that were around. We didn't lack for drinks and the wine, champagne and Baileys were all delicious!
New Year's Day brought another party with dinner for all and the goat meat was finished off. And sadly our choir performed for the last time. But I think we will continue with some new songs for the next party!
Yesterday was a day of rest. Petra and I went to the nearby town of Techiman to buy some treats at the supermarket and have a nice lunch at a hotel. I got a club sandwich that was actually pretty close to the real deal! Petra is leaving in a week so it was a bit of a farewell meal. Today there are two more vounteers arriving - one from Canada and one from Holland. Next week there will be another from Holland. It is hard to imagine going back to such a crowd. We have a very small kitchen! For most of December Petra and I were alone in the volunteer house because the Germans were staying with host families. But now they are back at PCC and things have gotten crowded. But more kids are getting special attention and they need that!
Hope you are all well and had joyful holidays. 'Til next time!
Debbie
- comments
Mom Thanks Debbie for sharing your wonderful experience of Christmas and New Year. Your celebrations are very alive and sound wonderful. It's an experience you won't ever forget. Thanks once again for your blogs, we are all enjoying them immensely!
Renee I look forward to you entries, it is interresting to see how others celebrate. I can't imagine the catholics thowing around baby Jesus! Amazing work you are doing.
Shirley Trottier Hi Debbie, am slowly getting the hang of how a blog works. Started reading your entries and i am getting my questions answered one by one. I really admire you,it takes a very special person wiling to use the gifts God has given you. Bless you. Shirley