christmas eve eve

Out of boredom and general obsession with Christmas, I have hand sewn 7 stocking for all of the volunteers in Tete that will be spending Christmas here with us. And I’m not gonna lie, they’re pretty impressive…AND they have our initials on them.  (I’m finally a “C” now like the rest of my family lol)This took ohhhh three days. And I’m sure you’re thinking, “Why would you spend 3 whole days hand sewing stockings out of capulanas?” To which I answer, I have nothing better to do. And why stop at stockings, there are also cutout paper snowflakes everywhere. Which is ironic seeing as I haven’t stop sweating since I’ve been in Moatize…

We have inherited a gas stove from some other PCVs, which has immensely helped with “operation Christmas cookie.” However, the bruises from where I carried said (full) gas tank something 2/3 plus kilometers BACK from the gas station are still shining on my hip bones. As I told my friend Michelle (who was using tin cans to attempt to make muffins), I’m more than happy to have a little battle wound in the name of Christmas cookies. The first batch was chocolate with peanuts. They were spectacular.  

Feeding 7 people is going to be a challenge. Especially since the first few days I just ate mangos and cliff bars. BUT we have lots of goodies in the works. Aside from the Christmas cookies (which will continue to be made on a running schedule), we’re making lasagna on Christmas eve. And I mean we’re MAKING it. Like, homemade noodles. Homemade marinara sauce. MAKING IT.  So, we’ll see how it goes. Hannah has started a tortilla chip endeavor…which pretty much translates into the 2 of us sitting on the floor in my house, pounding a Ziploc bag full of corn with a ketchup bottle in an attempt to make corn flour. And that’s pretty much as far as that project has gotten…the pounding took a little longer than we expected! Ha! Shocking, I know… but I have high hopes for them this afternoon. 

Most of the Christmas’s in my life have been pretty similar (amazingly wonderful, but still traditional and standard).  Last Christmas, I would have never guessed that this is what I’d be doing right now. That I would be hosting my first Christmas…that I’d be sun burnt and perpetually sweating (instead of bundled up)… that I’d be dancing around to Christmas music blaring on iPod speakers baking cookies on the lid to a large sauce pan (who needs a cookie sheet?)….that people would be strewn about my house sleeping on the floor for Christmas eve…. Whodda thunk?!

And here we are…Kentucky, New Jersey, Michigan, Montana, California, North Carolina and Ohio representing. Throwing together an African Christmas to the best of our ability. So far, so good!

Ok gotta run. Merry Christmas to everyone back home! Miss and love you!