"You have only to stay over Christmas with a family who seriously try to ‘keep’ it. . . in order to see that the thing is a nightmare. Long before December 25th everyone is worn out—physically worn out by weeks of daily struggle in overcrowded shops, mentally worn out by the effort to remember all the right recipients and to think out suitable gifts for them. They are in no trim for merry-making; much less to take part in a religious act. They look far more as if there had been a long illness in the house."
- C.S. Lewis on Christmas
I look forward to family and friends around the table and around the fire. There is much to be thankful for.
- C.S. Lewis on Christmas
I look forward to family and friends around the table and around the fire. There is much to be thankful for.
Comments
Regarding the Holidays post, this year will be my 6th consecutive Christmas in South America, and I really appreciate the simplicity of the celebration there. And as far as gift-giving, they don't have the U.S. mentality of Christmas being a competition to see who can give/receive the most presents (and most expensive). A common gift is a can of deodorant! It's hard for me not to want to buy alot of expensive gifts for everyone, but that would be very ostentatious, and awkward for both them and me.
I've received invitations from four different countries (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and South Africa), and I need to decide which one to accept. It was South Africa last year, so maybe Uruguay this year.
I would love to know about Latin America. And thanks for your other post as well.
My undergraduate major was International Studies with an emphasis on Sub-Saharan Africa... mostly foreign aid policy stuff. I spent a semester in Zimbabwe and made a few trips to South Africa and Lesotho. I went there as a big believer in more traditional forms of aid and came back frustrated by it, but most of my experience is from Africa. I've spent some time in Guatemala, but don't have a thorough understanding of aid issues in Latin America and would love to know more.
Enjoy the holidays and I hope to hear again from you.
In a nutshell, Juntos (a non-profit) will partner with universities in both the U.S. and Argentina. Students from those universities will join together to form binational teams (for example, 4 students from both a U.S. and Argentinean univ. will form an 8 student team) and they will conduct a 3 month project in a needy community in Argentina. The goal is to give individuals some opportunities to improve their futures. While most aid groups give assistance for the "here and now" (i.e. food, shelter, clothing, etc.), Juntos is looking to give individuals the ability to create a future for themselves, which will of course benefit their whole extended family, which will in turn benefit their community at large. Please don´t misunderstand me, groups like Habitat For Humanity do awesome work - but the downside is that after improving/building a house, the family is essentially in the same situation as before (but with better housing). Personally, i admire that organization that gives goats, chickens, etc. to farmers - that is truly helping their future prospects.
Naturally, we could get into some lengthy discussions about approaches to aid and related topics, but maybe that is best left to a face-to-face encounter, either in Denver or Phoenix. I´ll be back in Denver in March. Do you plan on visiting Denver during the spring or summer? I might be in Phoenix in April or May. Hopefully we can reconnect sometime - it would be great to see you again after 10 years!
Until then...
i´ll tell you later why the anonymous post - suffice it to say that i´ve been burned badly by the christian community, and i´m not sure where you stand regarding the past - sorry about adding to the mystery : )
feliz navidad y próspero año
Merry Christmas!