So this Christmas was very different then any Christmas I have ever had before: no snow, no cold, no Christmas lights on houses in the neighborhood or my home, no sugar cookies and no holiday inspired coffee drinks. However, one thing was the same – being with people you care about and who care the same in return (which is the most important and fulfilling part). Luckily this part of the holidays I was able to have here in Uganda.
I went to Kasese, which is western Uganda, for Christmas this year and stayed at my friend Jason’s house along with eight other PCV’s. I arrived on Christmas Eve to some of my closest friends in country there already! We had dinner at a hotel in town that gave a beautiful view of the Rwenzori Mountains that separate Uganda from the Congo. That night we all had a blast catching up and making new holiday memories together.
The next day was Christmas! We had a big brunch to start the day and the rest of the day pretty much revolved around eating too ha! Jason had a Christmas tree in his work space so that was nice to have up during the festivities!
We went to lunch at Jason’s supervisor’s home in Kasese. It was wonderful to see how open and hospitable his supervisor’s family was to all of us – it was a kind gesture on their part. Their house was decorated Ugandan style for Christmas with a fake tree filled with balloon ornaments.
After lunch we came back to Jason’s house and had a great afternoon game of Yankee Swap. Most people at the celebration hadn’t played Yankee Swap before so I’m assuming it’s mostly a New England game (unless you’ve seen that episode of The Office – someone always goes above the price limit!). There were some great gifts under the tree (on PCV Uganda standards): JIF Peanut Butter, a map of East Africa, mac n’ cheese, illegally downloaded movies, wooden spoons, kitchen towels and of course alcohol. I was lucky enough to end up with the wooden spoons and kitchen towels! Very much appreciated and needed.
That night we went to a buffet dinner at the nice hotel in town and got to have turkey for the first time being in country. It was pretty tough, but yummy! We all had a wonderful night at dinner and to end the night all went back to Jason’s to play some kosher games for the whole family :)
After lunch we came back to Jason’s house and had a great afternoon game of Yankee Swap. Most people at the celebration hadn’t played Yankee Swap before so I’m assuming it’s mostly a New England game (unless you’ve seen that episode of The Office – someone always goes above the price limit!). There were some great gifts under the tree (on PCV Uganda standards): JIF Peanut Butter, a map of East Africa, mac n’ cheese, illegally downloaded movies, wooden spoons, kitchen towels and of course alcohol. I was lucky enough to end up with the wooden spoons and kitchen towels! Very much appreciated and needed.
That night we went to a buffet dinner at the nice hotel in town and got to have turkey for the first time being in country. It was pretty tough, but yummy! We all had a wonderful night at dinner and to end the night all went back to Jason’s to play some kosher games for the whole family :)
Hey Becca, The red flowers (that were hopefully farther away from the Congo than it looked) could be stand-ins for the cardinals from your backyard back here in the states. Plus, did you know balloons can be used to make chocolate ornaments?
ReplyDelete