As I talked about in my last blog post, in December all of the volunteers were busy working as tíos for the home. It was a definitely a little sad being away from home for the holidays, missing all the traditions, and being so busy that month, but we did our best to keep the Christmas spirit alive even all the way down in Guatemala. Here are some of the highlights from the weeks leading up to Christmas!
Thanksgiving Dinner! All the Americans got together to cook for the whole international volunteer group. It wasn't quiiiite like being at home (ex: chicken instead of turkey), but I think we did a pretty good job! It was a lot of fun teaching the Europeans about this very important American tradition.
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| mmmmmm. food coma |
Advent calendar! Created through a joint effort between a few girls in my house, each day had a little note and piece of candy. Of course, we used the nifty Guatemalan apron as the backdrop! We had a little calendar above it that had everyone's names on certain days too.
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| WHEN IS IT MY TURN?! |
Advent wreath! Another joint effort from a few girls in my house, it was one of my favorite things we did. I loved lighting the candles at night while I was sitting at the table. Not too bad for making it from scratch, right?
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| 1, 2, 3, 4! |
Tac-tastic Christmas tree! A souvenir from my quick trip back to the States in November for a medical school interview from the wonderful store, Target (read: Tar-gey). I know it was gaudy and cheap, but it was mine and the only tree we had and I LOVED IT so there.
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| Oh yes, your eyes don't deceive you. It is actually gold. |
Decorated door! By yours truly. Obviously, you can tell I was an RA haha. But it's just so much more festive that way! Let me tell you, we were the envy of Volunteer Row... ;)
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| the full view... |
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| crafty crafty baby |
St. Nicholas's Day! One of the sweet German girls I live with surprised us all with these little packages in our shoes one morning :)
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| A thorough explanation of the tradition in Spanish! |
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| YAY CANDY! |
An early Christmas dinner! Our volunteer coordinator had all of us over to her house a few days before Christmas. We ate some delicious food and did a gift exchange. It was a wonderful evening that I was quite grateful for. I am continually humbled by the generosity of others!
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| Volunteer Christmas party, woooohooo! |
Thank you for sharing this with us. Although we missed you terribly during the holidays, we know that you were serving a greater purpose helping those kids in Guatemala! Here's hoping to having you home next Christmas!
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