Musanze, Rwanda, December 25, 2015

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!  I hope you're enjoying good food and company, and maybe decent weather too!

My Christmas has been wonderful.  First, we decorated the truck-

Poppy, who we discovered was conceived in Africa and named after a mountain gorilla we should have seen yesterday but who had just left the family with a young silverback to find happiness elsewhere, stands around the door decorations-

We put our name on our sock so Santa could find us-

We drew names a few weeks ago for "Secret Santa" and I got a variety of things: a Christmas decoration in the shape of a heart from Kazuri in Nairobi, a bag of candy and my favorite-

Giraffe salad spoons!  Rhod also made me this great card-

Too funny.  (Rhod is 25 and Welsh)  Jess and Poppy made everyone personalized cards-

Yes I drink coffee everyday, speak French, come from a cold country and correct spelling mistakes.  What can I say?

I was Mick, our driver's, Santa.  Someone else gave him green hair that just happened to match the wrapping paper around his 6 pack-

I partially attended 2 church services which carry on all day with singing, dancing and music.  First, just behind our dorm is a huge Catholic Church and amphitheatre.  People  come and go all day.  The singing is beautiful but they've only sung one song I've recognized so far-

I walked to the Anglican Church, hoping for an English service but it was at 7:30 this morning.  Instead, I had to settle for one in Kinyarwanda, the official language of the country.  Notice the goat and bag of charcoal at the front.  They led the goat out - I was hoping they would slaughter him right there-

After church, Christmas is just like any other day, spent at the market-

Christmas supper was massive: salade niçoise, fish, beef, duck and chicken for meat, and an orange cupcake. So good but pretty different from last year's shrimp on the dive boat in the Great Barrier Reef and the usual turkey at home!

What I love about 'foreign' Christmases is the complete lack, and I'm using that word positively, of commercialism.  So many go to church and then that's it.  There are few decorations and very little hype - the way I think it was meant to be.  There is no feeling of rush, rush, panic - did I buy the right gift? enough gifts? will they like it? Blah, blah, blah.

We're returning to Uganda tomorrow as we make our way back to Nairobi.