Dos Mil Ocho!

Above is the homemade eggnog or "ron ponche" as its called down here that I helped make. I thought it turned out pretty well, others disagreed but its the thought that counts right? Anyway, I was going to post an update earlier in December to wish everyone happy holidays, but I figured it would be more interesting if I actually had something to write about instead of just speculation. Regardless, I hope all my faithful readers had a wonderful holiday season full of family, love, and warmth. It was certainly warm down here, which definitely was a change from how I'm used to feeling (physically) around Christmas time. Summer is just starting down here, which actually means its been a bit cooler lately because its less humid and there's been a nice breeze blowing all day long. My town had a pretty cute Christmas parade and the bands played carols which got me in the spirit of things even if the weather wasn't doing it.
The day before I left for our Christmas gathering I attended a "running of the bulls" in a town nearby. Its kind of a mix between what you think of as a traditional bullfight in Spain and an American rodeo except the bull doesn't die and everyone can participate. The best of both worlds right?!? Basically they build a ring in the center plaza of town and let bulls out one at a time, sometimes a guy is mounted, sometimes not, some of the people have capes, some have cattle prods, most have been drinking and anyone can jump in the mix whenever they want. Its pretty much a free for all with no rules, but make no mistake the bulls are big and can definitely cause serious damage. I stayed out of the ring at this festival but when it comes to the corrida in my own town next August I may have to participate in the madness.
I celebrated Christmas with some fellow Peace Corps Volunteers at a house we rented in a mountainous and cool area called El Valle de Anton. There were 10 of us in the house and another 8 staying at a nearby hotel. We all chipped in to buy groceries and cook a big delicious Christmas dinner. We made lasagna, chicken, potatoes, squash, salads, and various desserts. The location was beautiful, the weather was perfect and the spirits were flowing. We did a round robin kind of gift exchange and I wound up with a Cuban cigar. I've never smoked a cigar before so I couldn't really appreciate the quality, but my throat certainly hurt the next few days making a smooth transition into the annual quitting of cigarettes. We'll see how it goes this year!

(The house we rented, in El Valle de Anton is known for birdwatching although we didn't see anything too special from the porch.)

I almost forgot the problem we had transporting our mass of groceries and ourselves from the big supermarket in the capital to our little house up in the mountains. Since it was Christmas Eve the buses were running infrequently and those that were running were full. After waiting for a while on the side of the road and asking a few taxis if they would take us (they wanted too much) we found a man with a covered pickup truck who had come to shop with his family. After consulting with his wife he agreed to drive the six of us and our food in the back of his truck the 2 hrs to our destination for $40. We hopped in and hit the road. These fun little adventurous become more common in both frequency and novelty the longer I'm here.

I'm serious about my onions.

Panamanians celebrate New Years a little differently than we do in the states and I think I rather like their style. Mass at 10 o'clock is followed by a few drinks as you ring in the new year, and then a big meal at midnight. Arroz con pollo and potato salad are staples at any party in Panama, but for new years my host mom went all out with glazed ham, spaghetti, shrimp, lentils (eat 12 spoonfuls for good luck she says), ham/cheese/olive combination things in roll up form and on skewers which reminded me of the appetizer presentation at Aunt Judy's, and various sweets. I made the mistake of filling myself at my host family's house because I was then obliged to visit the various houses of family and neighbors who gave me more food. So I had more food and a few drinks with the family who I've come to feel most at home with and hit the sack around 3:00AM. Calm night overall with none of the obligatory searching for the best club, and party hopping that goes on in New York.
Not quite as big as the Christmas tree I'm used to, nor the same cast of characters, but a wonderful holiday season nonetheless. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. Check out more pictures by clicking the "My Photos" link on the right hand side of the page.