Christmas in Layou

I still have a smile on my face from the sweet arrangement of events that created my first Christmas in St. Vincent. I was nervous that I would miss home terribly and while it is certainly true that my heart strings were pulled in the direction of New York, DC, Pensacola and the Bay area, I got through just fine. Christmas Eve is not really celebrated here in SVG so I spent the evening watching The Office holiday episodes (so funny!) and getting materials ready for school. On Christmas morning, I woke up and did my normal exercise routine only to be interrupted twice by my 9 year old neighbor who had climbed over my fence to wish me a “Merry Christmas!” and the second time to wonder what in the world I was still doing! I explained to him that Christmas equates with eating in the states so I was just prepping for the long day ahead! Graciously, he agreed that he would give me until 8:30am to truly begin Christmas!

At 8:30, he arrived bearing gifts of sweet bread and his 3 year old brother, Juvion. We hugged, said “Merry Christmas” and played numerous Christmas carols on YouTube. We took the carrot cake that I had made for his family over to their house and I gave the boys their Christmas presents. In typical Peace Corps/teacher fashion, I had decided that I would only give out books as gifts. Juvion received Where’s Spot and Vianj received his first Berenstein Bears book, a series that I adored as a child. It is the first book that either of them have ever owned and as they carried the books for the rest of the afternoon, I knew that despite books not being the most exciting gifts that they were valued. After spending some time at their house, we walked up the road (and a huge hill) to deliver a Christmas gift to Stefi (The Secret Garden) and her family. We hung out on the road outside their house for a bit, waving to friends that passed and enjoying the sunshine. On our way back to our block, we decided that we would take a tour of the town. Lucky for me, the boys have plenty of family in Layou.

Our tour of Layou took a total of three hours! We stopped at aunts and uncles houses, receiving gifts of juice, cake, Guinness (just for me) and money (just for the boys). We walked in the sweet sunny bliss of a Christmas morning. Children were racing new bicycles down the road and Christmas carols came blasting out of speakers. Everywhere you looked, families and friends were together, just enjoying each other’s company. When we arrived home, Elvia, the boy’s mother, filled a plate with food to send home with me and gave me a glass of Mawby (sort of like root beer) and Ginger Beer. I went home and took a break before going to Flory’s house for Christmas dinner. At Flory’s, we had a quiet dinner, just Flory, Uncle Richard and myself. She had cooked a meal for kings and I enjoyed every bit of it. I even ate the fish cheeks, which is getting downright close to the eyeballs! After sitting for a few hours and talking about life, I helped with the dishes and headed home. Almost as soon as I arrived home, I received a call from my friend Sudi inviting me to come lime (hang out) with him and a group of guys that have become my closest friends here in Vincy. I went and met them at the Nichols house. Mr. Nichols had been their boss and he was graciously hosting the gang on the porch. The boys were already smiling with bellies full of Guinness and the joy that only comes from spending time with your closest friends. I grabbed a chair, sat back and enjoyed the show. A c ouple of times, the boys would look at me and say “Thanksgiving!” They had been invited to the Peace Corps Thanksgiving celebration where we explained that the holiday was about eating, drinking and having a good time with your friends and family. They couldn’t have said it any better, as my heart was giving thanks for whatever cosmic forces came together to land me right in that moment.

Sunday was Boxing Day, a holiday that is spent with friends and neighbors. I spent the morning with my neighbors, playing games and reading books. At 1:30, my landlord picked me up to take me to his house for Boxing Day supper. His wife had cooked an amazing meal complete with a tossed salad, the first I have had since arriving in SVG! We enjoyed lunch, talked about the issues of literacy and how to work with parents. It was a fascinating conversation and I couldn’t help but feel like I was talking to surrogate parents who were interested in seeing my work result in success. After the meal, I took a tour of the house, spent time with their neighbors and watched the end of the Caribbean Cricket tournament on TV. Their children are overseas so I was happy to spend time with Mr. and Mrs. Charles in a way that can only be described as the familiar feeling of downright comfort that one has when they are with their families. After a few hours, Mr. Charles took me home with a “doggie” bag full of macaroni pie, sweet cake and meat pies. Later that evening, a friend picked me up and we went to a liming spot called the Drop Off where I finished off my Christmas weekend by dancing until the wee hours of the morning.

A very merry Christmas indeed!