Christmas is less than 10 days away. For the first 21 years of my life, this has meant being at home in Ohio, preparing for the holiday with an onslaught of holiday concerts, making Christmas cookies, playing in the snow with my dogs, and decorating our Christmas tree. This is the first time I haven't been home for Christmas since I was born. This is a very strange thing to consider.
However, it is an adventure to be in Rwanda for Christmas. For one, Rwanda is pretty much on the equator, so it is a balmy 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit every single day. It is like living in perpetual summer. The other day, I was sitting outside at a guest house with a friend. We were talking and enjoying cokes as a cool breeze came off Lake Kivu. At one point, the sun had shifted, we moved tables to be in the shade so as to not melt in the warm sun, and I said, "Woah, it's December."
So here are 5 Things I Miss About Winter in America and 5 Things About Winter in Rwanda that are Pretty Cool
5 Things I Miss About Winter in America
1. The Christmas Spirit: Call it Christian hegemony, but I am terribly nostalgic for the lights and decorations and carols you can find pretty much anywhere in America. I saw one Santa in a store in Kigali, and that was it for holiday decorations.
2. The Feeling of Winter Break: All of my PLU friends are struggling through finals right now (sorry everyone, but I wouldn't trade places with you). However, after a week of sleepless nights, junk food, and incredibly high stress levels, you get to go home and have your parents cook for you and have nothing to do but lay on the couch and watch HGTV. The agenda-less life of winter break is tantalizing.
3. Skiing: For something that I have only known how to do for a few years and am still pretty medium to below-average at, I really miss getting to go skiing in the winter. For the past three years, I've taken a trip to Montana to ski with PLU friends and it's going to be strange not to get to do that this season.
4. Sweater Weather: Even though long winters in Ohio get really old by like, mid-January, the cold of December is still endearing and exciting. There's few things I love more than playing board games by the fire in a warm sweater drinking hot chocolate.
5. Christmas Eve: Christmas Eve is a busy day in my family. My Dad is scrambling from one Church service to the next while we get things ready for the evening and next day. We go to an annual Christmas Eve party of good family friends where I always enjoy the homemade marshmallows and delicious appetizers. We end the night with the candlelight service at church, playing in a family string quartet. It's a great routine and a tradition I'll miss this year.
5 Things About "Winter" in Rwanda that are Pretty Cool
1. Sunshine: I mean, as much as I do love cool weather, it's not terrible to have beautiful sunshine literally every day. Even during the rainy season, I can count on multiple hours of sun. It's not too hot, not too cold. It really is perfect, tropical weather. My Chaco tan is getting to be very impressive.
2. Christmas with YAGMs: As much as I will miss my family back home, I am so excited to be spending this Christmas with my YAGM family. We are all meeting in Kigali for the holiday. Going to Kigali is always fun, not only because of the friendship, but also because it means getting to eat non-Rwandan food. Meze Fresh burritos and cajun chicken sandwiches, here I come!
3. Fireworks: Rwanda is not a country that is big into celebrations. People just tend to gloss over holidays, whether it be birthdays or Christmas. Thankfully, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is not like that. On New Years Eve, we will be able to step out onto the road my house is on, look out over Lake Kivu, and watch a fireworks show from the DRC. I would say that's a pretty cool way to celebrate.
4. New Year, New Beginning: Many times, New Years Day doesn't always feel like the start of anything. I have always measured my life by school years, so the holiday feels more like the halfway point. In Rwanda, since the whole year is summer, there's no need to organize the calendar around summer vacation. This means that all schools start in January, which shapes how the rest of the country runs. January really means the start of a new year.
5. Over the Hump: Before coming into my YAGM year, many people told me that once you're past Christmas, the year really seems to fall into place. You are used to being in the country, you have a routine, and it starts to feel like home. While I sill miss things from America (I'm looking at you, Thai food), I do feel like I'm getting more and more settled into being in Rwanda every day. Here's to 7 more months!
