The Holidays in Venezuela

After 22 years of Christmas at home, I guess it was about time for me to experience the holidays in a different setting. The Christmas season began with a gift collection and fundraiser for the local childrens hospital. With the funds gathered, I joined some friends from work in purchasing enough toys, pajamas, toiletries, and other goodies to hand out to over 100 children in the oncology ward. Later that week we wrapped and delivered the toys to the children and their families at the hospital, an experience that showed me a very different side of Venezuela - it's too easy to forget how lucky we are.

Christmas certainly wasn't the same this year, but Cesar's family was very nice in welcoming me to join in their celebrations. Cesar and I took an overnight bus to meet the rest of his family in Caracas for their Christmas Eve celebration. We had a nice dinner (vegetarian friendly thanks to Cesar's uncle!) and then gifts were exchanged. The trick this year was that you had to dance before you could get your gift each time your name was called. Very fun to see this side of Cesar's family. Christmas Day was calm - in Venezuela the emphasis is more on Christmas Eve than Christmas Day. And we just spent the next day having lunch at a family friend's house and walking around a very crowded mall.

Upon returning to Maturin on Sunday, we spent the next few days getting ready for New Year's Eve and managed to go on a daytrip to Puerto Ordaz to have lunch with Cesar's grandma. New Year's Eve meant a nice dinner with Cesar's family, ringing in 2010 with the traditional 12 grapes at 12:00, lentils, eaten for prosperity in the coming year, and of course champagne. After that, we spent time at a friend's house. Nothing too wild this year. As I look to the next year, I have made the typical New Years resolutions, and I am looking forward to the many changes to come. Let's see what happens - maybe Christmas in Cincy next year!