Christmas time

Tis the season for company Christmas parties and other holiday traditions, and here in Cebadas that is one thing that is the same…and yet so different. Dec 15 we went to a community about an hour and a half outside of Cebadas with all the staff of the Subcentro and the shaman to do a ritual called Kapak Raymi (raymi means fiesta but I still don’t know what Kapak means). I am still not positive, but I think it has something to do with the winter solstice maybe; I think it is supposed to bring harmony. Anyways, I didn’t really understand the meaning behind it obviously, but it was pretty cool. There were about 5 local people from the community as well – the others were watching the bulls that they had for Christmas I guess (meaning drunk people trying to fight bulls, not like professional matadors) and probably no one from the subcentro told them we were coming anyways. There was a blanket set in the middle of everyone standing in a circle with fruits and medicinal plants and musical instruments and other stuff on it, and each person put an object on there as well – I put my cell phone to get blessed. Each person was given a stick of incense, and there was also a little bowl of burning wood setting next to the blanket. The shaman went through the whole process of recognizing each of the four directions, so we had to do that too and repeat what he was saying – in Kichwa. Then each person took a handful of sawdust or something and walked around the blanket putting it on the fire when they returned. Then we all walked in a circle around the blanket together while one woman, a midwife, handed out the fruit to everyone to eat. It was cool to get to see that, and the doctor actually gave everyone a DVD copy of what we filmed on that day for a little Christmas present. I’m not sure what the patients thought who came to the Subcentro that day just to find that it was closed because everyone was at the ritual, but honestly the people are kind of lazy and just unorganized and also really busy with lots of activities the public health ministry makes them do, so the people are kind of used to the Subcentro being closed. It was also cool to get to see the community where we did it because it is the farthest one and is where the trail starts to climb one of the nearby volcanoes, Sangay, however its about a 7 day hike to get there. There are some cool little cabins where tourists can stay before or after climbing, or just to spend a weekend or whatever. The only problem is that there’s not really regular transportation for normal people to just go there, and the road isn’t in the best of condition so if you don’t have a truck or if it rains hard no one would be able to get there.

Dec 16 we had a little get together in Riobamba at one of the nurses houses to eat a Christmas dinner with the staff. They bought a turkey that we ate with a prune sauce and there was rice and potatoes and salad, and I made sugar cookies and gingerbread with cream cheese frosting to bring for dessert. Everyone had to do a little toast and then we ate and sat around talking. The food was different, but it was kind of like a Christmas dinner in the US. I ended up spending the night at the nurses house because they said they were going to do it at like 2 in the afternoon and didn’t end up meeting until about 6 and the last bus leaves at 8 – I didn’t have anything with me, but I’ve kind of gotten used to just sleeping wherever even when I’m not prepared for it.

Dec 17 was the Christmas program at the hospital for all the Ministry of Public Health employees – about 118 were invited but not everyone showed up. I went in the same clothes I wore the day before since I had spent the night, and they were all dressed up, but they think I’m weird usually anyways just because I’m a gringa so they probably don’t expect me to wear nice clothes. This party was very different than a normal company Christmas party in the US. It took place at the hospital on a Friday, they just put a sign up that said they would only attend emergencies and everyone came in to the little auditorium/meeting room. This year the farmacy and dentistry personel were in charge of planning everything. It started at 9 with a mass – a pastor came in from a church I guess. It was only like the 3rd mass I’ve ever been to in my life, and the first one in Spanish! After that there was a parade with a group of doctors and nurses dressed in traditional clothes dancing around in the streets followed by people dressed like Mary and Joseph carrying a little doll and then all the rest of the employees walking all around town. Then we came back into the auditorium to eat mote (hominy-ish corn stuff) with potatoes and pork at about 11:30. Then they did a toast few door prizes and then started dancing. The dancing lasted for about 20 minutes, then they took a break to do more door prizes and hand out more drinks (whiskey mixed with sparkling water). This cycle of dancing and drinking and gift continued all afternoon. Everyone got a little bag of candy and animal crackers, and then they just kept dancing. Around 2:30 we ate again – rice with potatoes, chicken, beef, salad, pop, and blackberry mousse for dessert. Then more drinking and dancing…we left at 4, but we were supposed to stay till 4:30 because that is the normal work hours and the party just replaced a normal work day. I’m guessing it went until after 4:30 though because everyone seemed to be having a good time, and at this point they were pretty tipsy with a few drunk people falling down while they were dancing crazily.

I’m glad everyone here has been sharing their Christmas traditions with me, because without winter weather and seeing friends and family and having a break or finals it doesn’t really seem like Christmas. Some people have put up lights and in Riobamba there’s sales and stuff in the stores and they are all decorated, but it still just doesn’t seem right. I still don’t know what my plans are for Christmas Eve and Christmas – maybe do a white elephant with some other volunteers or see if my host family is doing anything (but I asked and they said they don’t really do anything special). Christmas day I have to go to the airport to get Shannon and Sarah, and everyone has told me that tons of people travel on Christmas so I should leave early because all the busses will be full. I’m excited to see them though, and for them to see where I live, and everyone here is excited to meet them too!