It's hard to believe that as I'm typing boxing day is already over and Christmas has come and gone. We've spent this last week celebrating it up. Matthew and Sarah were both in the school Christmas program. Matthew sang with the high school choir and Sarah sang a solo in the production that the elementary grades put on. It was a great production and a lovely evening on the 17th of December. On the 22nd we had our CBM team Bolivia Christmas party. It was a night of appetizers and desserts and good conversation. We also got to meet Suzanna Nacho and her daughter who along with her husband are CBM field staff in Argentina. Wednesday the 23rd Brian and several other men went golfing and in the afternoon Carin and myself went and got our nails done ( for 2.50) and the kids hit the swimming pool and a local hotel.In the evening we lite candles closed all the curtains, made hot chocolate and watched the Sound of Music as a family. The 24th we went to the Guthrie's home for a candlelight carol sing, followed by a fondue dinner. Can you say a meat feast!! This definitely made us feel like home. Usually in Canada this is a New Year's Eve tradition with our good friends the Richardson's but Christmas Eve worked too. Most of Bolivia is Catholic so church here in many churches is at mid-night followed by a big meal with their families. There were several make shift tents set up outside our house in front of the market that sold special items for Christmas. Every table contained the same products; rapping paper, candles, cards, Christmas breads, cookies, chocolates and champagne. Calama baptist, the church we've been attending was having a service at 8 ( this means 8:30-9) and would most likely be around 2 hours long, solely in Spanish. We chose to spend the evening with our Canadian friends and thoroughly enjoyed this time. Christmas day was very typical to Canada. Get up around 7:30 open stockings, eat breakfast, open presents with more coffee. We then sat together in front of the computer and watched the Grinch ( original version of course). There was definitely time for a nap before we went back to the Guthrie's for our Christmas feast. I had cooked a leg of pork roast instead of turkey. Here in Bolivia people will cook either pork or turkey for Christmas, so we thought we'd try something new. I made a winter fruit and port stuffing and sauce which turned out fabulous!!. Of course we had all the trimmings to go with, potatoes, carrots, corn, salad, homemade apple sauce and buns. At the table was the Whittle family, the Guthrie family, Rebecca and Elizabeth a lovely Bolivian lady who works for the Guthrie's and Rebecca. She has become an important part of their lives and it was great spending the evening with her. Carin even found Christmas crackers here in Bolivia which made me feel right at home. We didn't have to wear our paper hats as long as we do with my family though. When we got home we were able to skype home to Calgary and chat with the whole Burrows family which was great. Today we were invited to the home of the other CBM field staff the McBeths for dinner. Matthew, Sarah and their son Pedro were able to spend some time in their pool in the back yard before it started to rain. We enjoyed a wonderful turkey dinner tonight. We have definitely eaten well in this last week and now it must stop. Tomorrow we will head off on a 16 hour bus ride to Iquique Chile. It is time for us to leave the country again for our visas so we are making a trip out of it and finding some water to play in and a chance to relax for the kids. As most of you know we left for Bolivia 3 days after school ended last year so our kids are needing a holiday. We hope and pray that our travels will be safe and that all goes well at the borders when we return.
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