Christmas

I went to Jessie's house in Sanguere Paul for Christmas this year, meeting three other volunteers there, Harley, Chris and Steve. It was low key but very nice, relaxing to be at someone elses house. We listened to music, some Christmas music (we actually didn't have very much!), watched movies, did crafts (lots and lots of clove oranges for all the volunteers in the north province) and cooked and ate good food. I had my puppy Papaya and her sister who I was babysitting and it was fun to have them there, although stressful as they chased neighbor chickens, looked for goat poop to eat and left their own in the house. Christmas day we went to church, a small church of maybe 30 people, where the service was incredibly short, maybe an hour, and completely in Fulfulde. In the evening on Christmas day we went for a walk at dusk to one of the hills, with wine glasses in hand, while the puppies raced around the fields, and during which various family members called us from the States. As the sun set we could see fires burning in the valleys, some Foulbe camps. Usually here, holidays don't cause too much homesickness because it doesn't "feel" like Christmas even. But in some ways it did feel a little tiny bit like it at Jessies house, whether because the of the cold sweatshirt necessary mornings or lazing around with no agenda at someone else's house. All was nice.

sleepy time christmas afternoon or evening

clove oranges

Christmas morning, some of Jessie's friends who came to visit