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December was a busy month despite leaving the commercialized Christmas hype behind in Canada. Early in December we started playing Christmas music - "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...", but it really wasn't. The days were getting hotter and there were no decorations in the stores.
We did decorate a tree with some borrowed decorations and watched some Christmas movies. Early in December there were some Christmas Bazaars in the Arusha area where we enjoyed visiting and doing some shopping.
Vangie's final ballet performance.
Vangie enjoyed taking ballet with her friend Miriam this term.
We got to see our friend Bella's school Christmas play.
The kids invented a game called swing vaulting.
Vangie hamming it up with some of the kids at our neighbourhood kids club.
School holidays here started December 8, so we had a longer school break than we would have enjoyed at home. In an effort to keep the kids occupied (not that they need much help), I created the Pamoja Christmas Challenge Competition. There were 8 kids on base for the holiday, so I made different teams of 2 at the beginning of each week. They all worked so hard on the challenges and had a lot of fun.
Week 2 - Christmas Cookie Baking Challenge
On December 16, we all got dressed up to attend the wedding of one of the staff here. It was pretty similar to a Western wedding except that the ceremony was delayed and we needed to wait for someone to pick up fuel for the generator to run the sound system. We had fun celebrating with our new friends.
The following week, we had a big staff Christmas lunch. This involved buying 2 live goats, slaughtering them, roasting them all morning and then eating massive amount of meat and other yummy treats.
Christmas gift baskets for the staff.
The next day, we took off with some of our team members for a weekend ministry tour in the Kilimanjaro region. We did a movie showing on Friday night and a kids program Saturday morning.
Relaxing at our lovely guest house in Rombo.
Singing
Games
The Christmas story
Crafts
Afterwards, we stopped to see a waterfall before heading on to Simba Farm where we camped over for a night. What a beautiful view!
On Christmas Eve, the rest of the Pamoja missionaries joined us at Simba Farm for a delicious feast and a swim.
We hiked down to see Kilasia Falls. Beautiful!
Swimming in the glacial river. Brrr...
Lunch stop in Moshi. Pole sana, Eli. He was running a fever and feeling awful.
Camp breakfast
Our camp site - complete with wood-fired hot showers and flush toilets. Fancy.
Camping is always more fun with friends.
Amazing view of Mt. Meru
Another glacial river from Kilimanjaro. Beautiful.
Just before he slipped and slid down this little chute.
"That was fun!"
Christmas Eve lunch - what a treat!
Poor guy. Eli was still feeling sick so he spend a good part of the afternoon like this. A great panorama for a sick bed.
More Christmas Celebrations
More Christmas Celebrations
Christmas morning stockings
On Christmas morning, we kept tradition by welcoming our Pamoja "family" for brunch.
Later, we enjoyed a delicious open air Christmas feast!
The Christmas gift we gave to all of the kids on the Pamoja base was to attend a drum-making workshop at the Cultural Arts Centre near where we live. Here's how it was done:
Step 1: Pulling the wet cow skin out of a tank of water where it's been soaking.
Step 2: Cutting circles out of the skin for the top and bottom of the drum. Vangie was a little grossed out by our instructors walking around on the wet cow skin in their bare feet.
Step 3: Cut small slits all around the edge of the circles. This took a looong time.
Step 4: Position the circles on each end of a steel can. Tie it on with string to hold it in place.
Step 5: Stitch the top and bottom circles together by sewing rawhide strips through the slits. This also took a looong time. Vangie warmed up to it.
The finished product and our drum-making crew.
(Step 6: Let the drum dry for 3 days.)
(Step 6: Let the drum dry for 3 days.)
Then, we finished off with a drumming lesson. It was a hit!
The last, but not least, highlight of the Christmas season was the Christmas party we put on for the community kids club that we attended every Saturday. There was a meal for all of the kids, a telling of the Christmas story, a craft and a small gift.
Yum!
Zeke eating rice with his hands just like a Tanzanian.
Somebody didn't quite make it through the party.
Storytime
Heri ya Krismasi!
Heri ya Krismasi! Merry Christmas!
Heri ya Krismasi! Merry Christmas!
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