Joyeux Noel!

Christmas has come and gone here in Burkina; though for me, it definitely did not feel like the holiday season!  For one thing, there was NO snow here.  Instead, the weather has been lovely; the temperature is usually around 80 degrees during the day, and it dips down each night to a cool 60 degrees or so.  Needless to say, Christmas was a bit different than the celebrations I usually have in frozen Iowa!  In addition, I did not get into the holiday cheer this year because I have just moved to my site, and I did not really have much time to settle in and prepare for the festivities. 

My Christmas ended up being wonderful however, as my host sister from training came to stay with me for a few days.  Michelle arrived on Christmas Eve and stayed until the 27^th.  It was great having another person around in my big, empty house, even if she laughed at my feeble attempts at cooking a Christmas meal (I don’t blame her)! 

On Christmas Eve, Michelle and I went to the 9pm Christmas Mass at the Catholic Church in town.  It was the first time I had been to the church, and it was very impressive.  It was full even twenty minutes before Mass started, and more and more people kept poring in.  I was amused by the sight of all the Burkinabé people, dressed in winter coats, scarves, and stocking caps in the 60 degree weather, especially as I was somewhat hot in my sleeveless dress in the church!  With all the outdoor gear and the chorus of hacking coughs, I would have thought I was back in Midwest America for Christmas!  It was a lovely service, though I did not understand much of it.  Thank goodness, part of the homily was actually a skit performed by Burkinabé kids; it was really entertaining. 

Other than Mass, Christmas here was fairly low-key.  On Christmas Day, Michelle and I visited another American who lives in my town, as she had prepared big pots of Burkinabé food.  Afterwards, she and I hung out most of the evening in the courtyard of my counterpart, talking with all his friends and family that came throughout the night.  Honestly, the best present I got this year was the time spent with Michelle, my host sister.  Even if I have known my Burkinabé family for only a couple of months, there was something really nice about spending Christmas with my family!

I hope everyone back at home had a lovely holiday season…I was thinking of you all a lot!