It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Apart from the warm weather, cloudless skies and being far from home it is beginning to feel and look a lot like Christmas here in Guatemala. The jam packed camioñetas are blasting christmas carols, the markets are filled with christmas trees, lights and decorations and houses are adorned with Christmas lights.

We are also trying to make our home at NPH as festive as possible for all the volunteers who are far from home and all the kids who are spending Christmas at NPH. Last week before starting our "tia-ship", which consists of living and working with the kids every day, we had a special holiday feast and gift exchange. Thanks to Karla and Miguel we enjoyed an amazing dinner of tamales and afterwards played a Dutch version of white elephant/yankee swap. It was a great introduction to the holiday season! The volunteers have also taken it upon ourselves to decorate the houses for the season. Each volunteer house is dressed in flashing white lights and we have an amazing (fake, but amazing) Christmas tree in our living room.

The kids have also been helping to decorate the home---we have a life size manger/nativity scene in the middle of the grounds, which is covered in multicolored Christmas lights and decorations. The comedor also is the home to a very large Christmas tree, which the kids decorated with flashing lights, big stars and many tacky Christmas ornaments.

 It certainly is BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS in its own way and a different way, but in the same moment an amazing way and in a way that I will never forget.