Christmas came and went, rather uneventful. There were many events leading up to Christmas Day, but Christmas Day itself was very tranquila. Most of the day was spent preparing the food, which we then ate at separate times because eating together is not something important in Zhoray. The menu included roasted cuy (guinea pigs) and potatoes with a side of chicken innards soup. Mmmm, mmmm, MMMM! I have gotten pretty good at eating most things, and luckily Suca tends to give me normal pieces of meat, so my soup had a chicken wing instead of feet. I ate alone, but the grandma felt bad for me, so she sat at the table with me and forced some skin and intestines into me.
Nayelli and I baked a ton of Christmas cookies, which were a big hit with everyone. We made the traditional cookies with the star and gingerbread man cookie cutters we had, then we also made peanut butter cookies with a chocolate center and gingersnaps. They all turned out well based on the ingredient improvisation! I now have some more cookie cutters (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!), so we already have plans for another round of cookies.
With Christmas passed, things have been more back to normal. I still don’t have a lot of work right now because the high school is on vacation and the doctor isn’t in the subcentro. I have been working on preparing for upcoming charlas on nutrition and sex ed, so have been working mostly on my own.
Since the schools are on vacation, the kids are all hanging in town during the day, so I’ve been spending a lot of time with them. They all adore Cora, which is great for all of us because they wear her out running around with her in the park whenever we leave the house. Nayelli continues to love Cora and we are both working on her training. She is now very good at sitting and sits whenever she wants anything (so you know she wants something when she’s just sitting and staring). She has also gotten pretty good at shaking hands on command, so she will be quite the polite pup! It is the more important and difficult ones we’re still working on: come, stay, and no biting! Luckily she plays really well with the kids and doesn’t gnaw on them, but my hands are a different story…we’re working on it.
At night I have been playing with the regular group of kids in the park. We play a lot of tag, hide and seek, and the other night I got to play their version of truth and dare/spin the bottle. They are a much more reserved culture here than in the U.S., so the only dares included giving kisses on the cheek, which is their greeting here, so nothing out of the ordinary. They love that I’m out there playing with them, and it’s fun for me and gives me something to do at night.
New Year’s was much more exciting here than Christmas. The preparations all started right after Christmas, which included building structures and putting together dolls. My family built a replica dump truck from wood and paper and dolls of all the brothers in the family. The dolls are like scarecrows, made from clothes stuffed with cardboard and paper. The dolls all have masks that are similar to paper mache and are usually goofy. There was a big party on New Year’s Eve in the market, which included music, dancing, games, contests, skits, etc. At midnight, the structures and dolls (now doused in gasoline) were all set on fire and there were big bonfires all around. Burning dolls of a specific person is believed to bring them luck for the new year. It was a fun night!
With all the vacations, I have been working more on the land with Zoila. The other day we put up fencing for the ducks-to-be. We are just waiting to pour cement for their pool, then we will each be getting two ducklings to accompany all the chickens up on the land. The machine that was supposed to till the plot for my garden just broke down, so we’ll see if it will be fixed soon or if it will become a project to do by hand. I have sent out some oficios asking for a few more supplies for the garden before we’re ready to plant. Luckily there is no critical timeline because planting season is year-round here!
Today is the first of four days of fiestas in Zhoray to celebrate 102 years of parroquialization. The fiestas include crowning of the “Reina de Zhoray,” or the queen of Zhoray from the high school, sports tournaments, a parade, and who knows what else! There has been a little carnival set up for a few days now outside in the market with two little rides and games for the kids, but I’m not sure what else is coming. It should be a lot of fun!
In the upcoming week, I have a hygiene and sex ed charla in the central school, a nutrition charla with the group of volunteers, and hopefully a successful meeting with the girls from the high school. A good Peace Corps friend, Katrina, is coming to visit next weekend and do a tech exchange to teach us how to make the wallets out of coke bottle wrappers and to learn a bit about the gardening here. It will be a lot of fun to have her here and share my life in Zhoray! The countdown until Mom and Dad get here is getting smaller – they will be here in just 3 weeks! I can’t wait, and luckily there is a lot going on between now and then to help pass the time.
That’s about all for now – I’ve got to run because little Cora stayed home in Zhoray today with Nayelli, so I have to get home to her! I miss you all had wonderful holidays and everything is going well in the States!
Kerry
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