So this email is long over due! I apologize for the delay but December has kept all of us here in Micronesia super busy! We started off the month with a belated JV Thanksgiving dinner with the Sarem community, of course the food was delicious and the conversation was perfect! The next day we headed back to Xavier the infamous XAVIER DAY! It is a weekend filled with games and competitions, some athletic and some just down right silly between the faculty/alumni, seniors and freshmen, and juniors and sophomores. It was a long day, but it was totally worth it to just sit back and have a little fun and get a little crazy with the students! It is times like these that I really appreciate being here and having fun with them.
After this wild weekend we got right back to daily grind to finish up the semester. Of course the following three week were rigorous and stressing, but the two week break that followed made it all worth it. There were two weeks of break then finals. The last day of finals our second year, Mike, parents came into town. Its always really great to have parents here to remind us what it feels like to be in a "family."
Last Saturday, we went to Pisiwi, a picnic island about 20 minutes away with all of the students. They have this tradition of once we get close to the island a bunch of them just jump off the ship and swim to shore. I jumped off with one of the students, Erika and swam in. The whole day we just laid around, playing games, having chicken fights, and jumping off branches of trees, which unfortunately after climbing, gave me a nice scar on my leg! But it was so relaxing and fun to just hang out with the other JV's and students and just have fun! Peaches and I has a sand ball fight with some of the students, and I think I am still getting sand out of my hair!! But it really was a blast!! After that we headed to mass and the JV's went to Truk Stop with Mike's parents and had a great meal.
The majority of Christmas break has been filled with getting ready for Christmas and shopping for my host family. Mike's parents took us to Pisar on Tuesday and Wednesday! Pisar is the most beautiful place in the world!!! It is a little island located right by the reef, so we can see and hear the waves crashing in! It really is a fabulous place!! It was so unbelievably beautiful!!
We got back on Thursday and headed down to Sarem for a Christmas Party!! It was really fun and also relaxing! Of course we got a little goofy but had so much fun with each other and ended the night on the roof under the stars.
Friday when we got back I headed down to my host family. I really, really love my host family and have so much fun when I go!! When I got there we hung out a little bit then got ready for church. They are Protestant so I am still trying to figure out their service but it is such a good experience going. I feel like I am in more solidarity going then staying back here and not experiencing what they have to offer.
But their Christmas Eve was so wonderful! We went and everything was in Chuukese but I believe they had a little prayer service. Then it was present time! They did something similar to a secret santa, where everyone got a gift. Each family also got gifts from each other like bananas, rice, chicken, and all sorts of stuff!! It was really really awesome!! They we walked back to the house which was very fun!! It was about 30 minute walk but with no flashlights, only the moon light! It was tricky, but it was a wonderful experience!! We got home and opened presents...they got my a MUU MUU and TURTLE EARINGS!!!! As well as toiletries for when I stay over!! It was really one of the best gifts I have ever received!! After that is was pretty quiet and we went to bed.
On Christmas we woke up and eat breakfast, chicken and rice with some banana and fish!! Very delicious!! We put on our muumuu's and headed over to the church. It lasted a couple hours, but was very entertaining with singing and scripture...again all in Chuukese, but still very nice. Then after church we had a meal with the church community which was really really good! However I made a huge mistake!! I went to get water and drank water from the hand washing bucket instead of the drinking water!! But I am not sick yet (knock on wood) so hopefully I will be alright!!
Then I headed back to Xavier after a WONDERFUL Christmas with my Awesome Host Family!! When I got back up to Xavier it was straight to work, cooking Christmas dinner. The Sarem JVs were here decorating once I got back and they had the study hall look beautiful and so ready for a Christmas feast!! We had so much food, but the favorite of the night was pasta carbonara made my Joan (our nurse) and it was sooooo delicious!!!
After dinner we brought out the Karaoke machine and boy did the boys love it!! Some of us older folks got up and sang but the boys just had so much fun with it and literally sang Karaoke for hours and hours!! We gave out their presents which I think they liked and handed out some gifts from our families like board games. We played board games and card games the rest of the night until lights out which was just a lot of fun. It was really great to see the boys just having fun and it made for a great night.
At midnight, I was able to Skype home and talk with the family which completely topped off the night and made for a FABULOUS MICRO CHRISTMAS!! Seeing all aspects of life here was so great and then being able to talk to the best family in the world back at home always makes me so, utterly happy. I am so blessed and thankful for everything and for such a blessed and gracious Christmas!!
Thats all for now, I hope everyone at home had a great Christmas and Holiday Season!!
LOVE, MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! (and happy birthday to me :) )
Ems
