Navidad en Nicaragua

We miss seeing everyone over the holidays!

Navidad here in Nicaragua was very low-key. It was refreshing (for me) not to be drowning in commercials and Christmas carols. Gift exchanges in San Ramon were very modest. The big moment of anticipation was staying up with family and friends for 12:00 midnight on the 24th. The tradition is to have a dinner at midnight and then the gift exchange. Brad and I cooked up a big pot of homemade pudding (delicious...with locally made chocolate) and gave that to our friends as gifts.

Other then visiting with friends we have not been doing much because a lot of things are closed during this week. We have been playing a lot of SKIP-BO (a card game) with our friends Alvaro and Ivonne. We have also been taking lots of walks. The weather here is absolutely beautiful...it is transitioning into spring and the air is cool, the sun is warm, and all the birds are going crazy. We might be taking a mini-trip this weekend to Granada or Leon before we pick up our friend Caity at the airport on Sunday in Managua. I am very curious about New Years eve. Apparently, (or at least from my translation), people make big dolls or scarecrow type things with old clothes which they burn for the new year.