I realize this post is dated the day before Thanksgiving; that is completely intentional. The thing is, for the Nicaraguan people, there is no Thanksgiving. As someone obsessed with sweet potato casserole, extended family, and all things fall, this of course saddens me deeply. However, my anticipation of the holiday season (which somehow leads me to dance like crazy to the likes of Mariah Carey, Peanuts, and Nat King Cole all in the same playlist) can no longer be counted as cheating. There’s no standard. No Thanksgiving means Christmas comes early in Managua, Nicaragua.
And, with the 80+ degree weather and constant sunshine, it's not beginning to look a lot like Christmas, at least not by my middle-Tennessean standards. I have a very difficult time remembering that it is, in fact, November. But although it may not fully “look” like my conception of Christmas, as far as Nicaragua is concerned, it IS Christmas. The stores are packed with Christmas toys and decorations, school is winding down, and everyone keeps talking about “La Purísima,” a catholic holiday celebrating the Virgin Mary on December 7th/8th. In fact, Nicaragua is the one place Where Every Day is Christmas. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution, and to celebrate, gigantic lighted Christmas tree figures have been posted in the middle of Managua's roundabouts since my arrival in July.
Today my kid’s english class got in the Christmas spirit as we held a our last real class of the year, a one-day lesson on Christmas vocabulary. I labored for hours on which words to choose: Is “manger” too difficult? Is “snowman” culturally relevant? In the end, I decided that you can’t go too wrong with Christmas vocabulary, and so I came to class with a list of words, flash cards, and Bingo Sheets - a whole few weeks worth of material in one afternoon. The children definitely rose to the challenge of learning some new words, and I hope they will continue to practice over the holiday season. And what would a Christmas-themed classroom full of latin chavalos learning English be without the song “Feliz Navidad?” I suppose I’ll never know...
In Child Sponsorship, we are also in the Christmas spirit as we’ve been “bustling” about trying to get everything situated for the coming year. Today was our last Milk Day of 2009 in which we met with mothers and children to take monthly measurements, track growth and health, and give out the next month’s allocation of milk, oatmeal, and vitamins. We also were able to give each family a gallon bag Christmas gift of rice and beans. Next week, a woman is visiting who will be hosting a Christmas luncheon for the mothers (caretakers) and children in our program. They will be receiving a catered meal and small gifts, as well as being able to take advantage of a clothing sale said woman is also to host next Friday. And that’s not all! This Friday, we are inviting all of the kids and mothers to join us in a field trip to a nearby laguna! This will be a chance to take them away from the smoke and the trash into a fresh, clean place where their bodies can experience complete immersion in cool, refreshing water. More updates to come on this soon. Finally, our team is preparing for a pilot program with a Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food product for January. This has been a great undertaking, and still presents much challenge and opportunity in caring out.
Last but not least, I have a confession to make: Although there is not Thanksgiving in Nicaragua, there will be Thanksgiving in our gringolandia. That’s to say, we at the Manna House will most definitely still be celebrating Turkey Day. This year marks the 5 year reunion for MPI Nicaragua, and PDs of old have reunited in our house to help us celebrate all that we are thankful for in style! It is both refreshing and overwhelming to have so many new faces in the past. I have enjoyed learning from their experiences with Manna Project and what they have done in the years since. I have enjoyed having our chef extraordinaire Elena on call each and every day, each and every meal. I have enjoyed how the presence of so many excites me to the point that I don’t know what to do with myself and go into productivity mode, engaging in random activities such constant cookie baking and blog posting in addition to my real tasks within the house. Mostly I have enjoyed the rush that comes with the beginning of the holiday season. Perhaps what I’m trying to say is that, in Nicaragua, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.
Merrily yours,
Jan Margaret
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