Fav-oo four-aes, dav-oo door-aes, welcome Christmas, Christmas day....

So I'd expect that Christmas in a nearly all-Muslim region would pass like any other day.  But no!  It's not even noon yet, and so much Christmas cheer has come my way....

-Lots of people here know it's Christmas, and when I went out grocery shopping, I got asked a lot how my day was going and if I had any special plans.  Even kids in town who usually shout "Mzungu!" as I go by instead were shouting "Christmas!"  It's said in the same impersonal tone, but I'll take it.

-I had a hot chocolate epiphany!  A week ago I got some gourmet hot chocolate mix in the mail from Katie.  Somehow moisture had gotten into the packet, so it was a sticky paste instead of powder, and when I mixed it with hot milk it wouldn't dissolve, and thus would not release it's chocolate-hazelnut deliciousness.  Oh noes!  But this morning I had an idea!  I mixed in the paste and then boiled my milk, and voila!  It all dissolved and I had delicious hot chocolate with breakfast!  The weather here is way too hot to warrant warm drinks, so I was sweating buckets by the end of the second mug, but totally worth it!  I then took a cold shower and felt amazing.

-Katie also sent me Candy Canes.  Delicious!  Enjoying one right now....

-A lot of kids bug me for money and gifts around town.  They are especially persistent at the end of Ramadhan, when all the adults are giving out little gifts and candy.  But today I turned the tables on them!  "Today's Christmas; your turn to give me a gift.  Give me money!  Give me candy!"  Predictably, they had nothing for me, but they stopped pestering me for the day.  I wish everyday was Christmas- I could pull this all the time....

-I've got the Christmas music going:
    Brass albums by The Canadian Brass and The London Brass

    The Grinch Soundtrack (see title of post).  Even without the video, this makes me really happy and reminds me of being a kid.  "And what happened then? Well in Who-ville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew 3 sizes that day.  And then the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of 10 Grinches, plus 2!"

    Trans-Siberian Orchestra (over-the-top rock and roll adaptations Christmas standards, sent to me on a flash drive from Katie!)

    And of course Handel's "Messiah."  Duh!  We all listen to that one right? Right???? Ok maybe not everyone....

-I got the following text from one of the guys in my English club:
"Happy birth day Ooh! Sorry...! Velentine day.... Shit!  Good morning, no,no,no,no...! Oh yes, i want to say.....happy christmas."

-Last but not least I found 20,000 shillings I didn't know I had (about $12).  Woot!  Merry Christmas to me!

Christmas cheer abounds!  One of my best gifts was last night's sunset at the port:

Port buildings from the pier

Boats in the channel between Pemba and Fundo, a small island to the west

Men finishing up their day's work

Ahhhhhh.....

Sundown on Christmas Eve

Kilimanjaro!

First vacation in Tanzania: success!  It was a nice gift to myself after finishing my first 3 months at site.  It's also been 6 months since I got to Tanzania.  I've been in the Kilimanjaro region visiting my friend Riah, who's site is on the lower slopes of the mountain.  We had a pretty awesome time; lots of delicious food, plenty of sleep, and lots of lush scenery on the slopes.  The food highlight of the week might have been veggie-bacon burgers (yes, veggie burgers with bacon.  Delicious!). 

One morning we visited Riah's counterpart Catherine (the teacher at her school who she works most closely with).  She and her husband Alex are incredibly friendly and welcoming, and they have the cutest daughter ever, Joan.  Catherine made us a traditional Chagga dish (the Chagga are a neighboring tribe of the Maasai), and served it to me in a traditional bowl for Chagga men.  During our visit I got drowsy, and disappeared for an hour to take a nap on one of their beds.  This might seem a little odd, but is very acceptable behavior here.  It's one of the things I love about Tanzania: being sleepy isn't considered rude, and you're genuinely encouraged to take a nap when you want one. 

Pictures!

Remnants of the two ducks we had for Thanksgiving

My VSO buddy Juanito and I at breakfast in Dar Es Salaam before my trip to Kilimanjaro

Amazing English breakfast in Dar.  All you can eat cheese bar included.  I died and went to heaven.

Alex and Joan.  Daddy and Daughter.   =)

Me (with my Chagga man-bowl), Riah and Joan

Joan finishes the leftovers.  Precious.

Riah, Joan, and her mommy Catherine

Kilimanjaro!