Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Our
internet has been not working properly since before Christmas. It
will come on for 5 or 10 minutes at a time. Sometimes it will come
back in a few minutes and other times it will be gone for the rest of
the day. So frustrating, but this is just one of those things you
have to deal with when living in India. Because of the internet
issues I haven't been able to update in quite a while. So I am going
to start back in December...
Christmas was a wonderful time of
celebration. The typical India Christian family celebrates Christmas
by going to church on Christmas day, where you will probably watch
some skits and songs from the children, hear a message, and share a
meal with the church family. Most families' decorations don't go
beyond some colored lights and a paper star. Christmas is basically
one day of celebration. Up here in the hills all the schools are on a
two month winter break, but in most of the rest of the country school
is still in session having holiday only on Christmas day.
We (Manju, Jeewan Loy, and I) took
about a week off of school, beginning with a surprise interruption in
our school day. December 20th is my birthday, and we
planned to have school as usual and begin the holiday on the
following day with a day of Christmas cookie baking and gingerbread
house making. But surprise! In the middle of a math test I was giving
to Manju, I hear footsteps on the stairs. I thought maybe some of the
girls from downstairs were sneaking up to spy on us. Instead it was
everyone from downstairs, the whole German family who lives up the
street, and Lindy carrying a birthday cake complete with candles.
After I blew out the candles we all went out on the terrace and
shared tea and cake. Well that made quite a happy end to our school
day and beginning to our holiday.
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| Gingerbread House (from a kit brought from America) |
Here in Kalimpong the week before
Christmas youth groups, choirs, and Sunday-schools roam around
caroling in the evenings. They do this usually do this as a
fundraiser for their group. When a group of carolers arrives at your
house you are expected to welcome them in for tea and
biscuits(cookies) and send them away with a small donation. Sometimes
they send a card a few days before to warn you of their coming, but
some just arrive unannounced. They usually begin caroling just after
the sun goes down (which is around 4:30pm) and can keep going until 1
or 2am. One night we had three different groups come one of them came
at 1am but we were asleep in our warm beds so we just cracked a
window waved and went back to bed. Even when carolers don't come to
your house you can still here them in the neighborhood as the houses
are close together and the windows not very well insulated. It is
such a magical thing to fall asleep to the echos of people singing
and worshiping Jesus all over the hills.
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| Happy Birthday Jesus! Yummy Chocolate! |
Christmas Eve we spent with Harry and
Vroni, the German family, their four kids and Vroni's friend who was
visiting from Germany. We had a bonfire with popcorn, apple cider,
cookies, and pigs-in-a-blanket, and sang songs in both English and
German. That night Lindy, the kids and I slept by the Christmas tree.
Jeewan Loy had been counting down the days until Christmas so he was
incredibly excited to open his presents and stocking in the morning.
I made biscuits(southern style) and gravy, and we had a “Happy
Birthday Jesus” cake for breakfast. Then we all got dressed and
walked to church. We had a yummy Indian lunch there and had a
wonderful time with all of our friends.
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| Silent Night |
That evening was spent with Mari and
Juha, the Finnish family downstairs. They had visitors come for
Christmas, two Finnish girls who have been staying in Siliguri
working at a rescue home for girls from the redlight district. It was
so wonderful to get to know these girls and share our stories. The
bonds of the Kingdom are so amazing, it was like meeting sisters.
Manju and her friend Siiri had written a Christmas song together and
performed it as we shared American and Finnish holiday goodies by
candle light. Such a perfect end to a glorious day!
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| Christmas Eve Dinner |
