The Christmas party was a success. Having a house-full of guests turned out as joy and not headache. The number and mix of people seemed perfect: a few foreigners and many Vietnamese friends, enough space to move and few enough chairs to promote movement, and plenty of food to go around. We enjoyed good conversations. In a new way, I think, the roles reversed between us and our Vietnamese friends: we were now the welcomers and extenders of our culture, and they the learners and guests.
As our friends arrived we passed them small cards with characters from the Christmas story written on them. Halfway through the party we corralled everyone into the living room for a simple role-play, reading the story while our friends listened for their parts to appear. Then still in the living room we got out the guitar and sang Christmas carols.
We're thanking God these days for a lot. For one, the team seems to be getting along well. Not the easy politeness as at first, but a familiar feeling. Considering the process it has taken until now, I realize that I far underestimated how central the team relations would be to this experience. We spend most of every day together--waking, eating, working, relaxing. It is really a unique, and probably (I can only guess) the closest thing to marriage I've ever experienced. So yes, being on good terms with each other is a real blessing.
The temp has dipped down to 68 during the days, and we laugh as we walk around the house in socks and long sleeves, shivering. At night I've been bundling up and honestly needing my blanket. It's marvelous.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
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3 comments:
sounds like fun! i hope your Christmas holiday is relaxing and fun.
so you have a guitar? how did that happen?
i just got the big email from your mom! congrats on being an uncle!!!
it is crazy how fast things are changing. in less than a month, i graduated college, quit my job, went to mexico, got a new transmission in my car, lost a roomate, and i am now looking for a job and a roomate, while trying to figure out how to pay my bills until my next paycheck. i'm supposed to start substitute teaching late next week, and won't get paid from it for a month, so i am doing some painting for a guy i know with a painting business next week for cash and looking for a job waiting tables or making coffee.
i'm glad you got to catch up. there should be a postcard coming at some point, but no one in the states has gotten theirs yet, so who knows when that will be. my trip was definitely a learning experience. i will think before i just take something free next time, and i will also consider more carefully now who i travel and live with. i tend to see things kind of rose colored, as if i can really put up with everything, when i can actually not handle much of a challenge responsibly. well, hope you are well and that i get more updating soon!
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