December Update: Personal Fun over December!

Well Happy Christmas to you all and a huge thank you for phone calls, cards, parcels and emails!

Quito's Festivities Here in Quito the week of December 6th certainly takes precedence over the celebrations for Christmas! They celebrate the founding of their city, and the whole place erupts in parties and festivities. Chivas (see photo below) drive throughout the city, full of people drinking continually, a band travels in the 'cage' section on top and the streets are full of the music and singing of the chivas!

There are concerts in the plazas, endless parades and Ecuadorian and Quitonean flags strung up from every house! This is also the season for the bull fights, which (I soon discovered) is hugely popular. I preferred to watch the school presentation of bull fighting though!!! I went with friends from church to see their kiddies perform... it was hilarious!

The heros of many of the children here are the bull fighters! Those from Spain always win the big competition though leaving the Ecuadorian competetors knocked out in the early stages!

Christingle at my Local Church I was asked to bring a little European Christmas celebration to my local Quito church this year, and the making of a christingle in family groups became a part of our Christmas carol service. It was great to think that children at Altrincham Baptist would be doing this same activity this Christmas too.

Christmas Dinner in Ecuador This year I enjoyed my turkey with a lovely family from my local church. In Ecuador we celebrate on the evening of the 24th December. This year was a simple affair: turkey, rice and salad with tinned fruit cocktail for dessert, served with so much love. My christmas crackers were a huge hit, Ecuadorians never having seen those before!

I did have to giggle as the daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren of the family were expected for Christmas dinner, but didn't turn up until the end of the meal as they had chosen, on the evening, to eat with the in-laws(!) When you think about the plans we make in England about who will eat where I couldn't help but smile at the difference in cultures! We also shared the meal with Alberto who works at the back of our houses, and with his elderly mother.

English Christmas Day I remember last year, the 25th being such a let down, so this year I decided to throw an English Christmas party for neighbours and friends from my local church. There were over 50 people in my house for the party!!!!

I realised as well that this was a sub-conscious way of keeping the homesickness away! I was so busy cooking beforehand there was little time to miss home. Also every year preparing a big Christmas buffet for friends and family is something Mum and I have delighted in doing together. This year she did hers in the UK and I did mine in Ecuador!

Friends from church helped me get the food ready. I prepared a cold buffet with many English Christmas desserts. Mikaela (above) is a Quichua lady at church. She has umpteen children and grandchildren (to be honest I loose track of who is her child and who is her grandchild). Due to lack of money this Christmas, for Mikaela and for so many other families from my local church, was without presents, without any special food, and without festivities of any kind. I watched Mikaela throughout the party and she and her family were loving every minute of it.

We did silly games and then, after food, the place erupted in Andean dancing!!! One of the people from church had brought his guitar and they all started dancing their traditional mountain dances. I can't relay to you the sound of the shout/ sqwark that comes in Andean dancing(!) but it is certainly distinct!

I was exhausted in the end, but went to bed with my ears ringing with Andean music alongside King's College Cambridge Carols!