christmas far far away 2of2

Well Merry Christmas!!!! yes, a little late. i spent christmas eve with a couple other volunteers at a friends house about 4 hours away!! there is very little christmas spirit here, but we managed to have a pretty good time. here are a few snapshots.

first project, decorations!!!! i made this little sign for our holiday archway.

Leslie made this fabulous nativity set out of clay and a box and some fabric scraps. so creative!! they arent in this picture, but the set was complete with three wise men bringing gifts to the baby jesus. awww.

Stockings!!! unfortunatly santa must have gotten lost, but at least i had this awesome stocking!

Next project, christmas cookies. we made a ton! this is leslie early in the process or rolling and cutting out.

this is lena, our hostess really getting into the flour.

and then we frost!!! so messy, so delicious.

after hours of prep work, we finally made it to the christmas dinner. i was very impressed as lena made the most delicious chicken i've had in ages! mmm.

On christmas morning i traveled back to my town, and watched some christmas movies on my satellite dish. it was peaceful, relaxing, nice. this is the christmas tree sent by my sister, after i added the magic liquid (before picture is in a previous post). it really did grow!!! it's a christmas miracle!!

a much needed trip out

I recently managed to leave town for 12 whole days!!! thats right kiddies, i busted out and was able to see two of the places i've wanted to visit since i arrived here. and in the middle, i was checked out by the docs to commemerate being on the downhill slide of my time in country. clean bill of health! humdullah!!!

so some of you know about my obsession with fountains. well, this was my first trip to a real waterfall, and needless to say, i'm in love!!!!! so incredibly beautiful. i was in heaven and took at least 4 billion pictures!

We arrived at the village, and i thought "where is this thing??" then you walk about a hundred yards and notice this big cliff. all the sudden you're standing right on top of them! crazy!

This is where the collide about halfway down.

and then you can walk all the way down to the bottom of the falls where the view is equally breathtaking!

truly a dream come true. me and a real live monkey, living out in the wild and sitting in the palm of my hand!

so the waterfall was pre medical visit. after, i went to one of the imperial cities! this is at the tomb of a famous old leader. love the doorways in this country!

just outside of this city, there is old roman city. all ruins and not completely excavated, this place was incredible. Here i am next to an old well.

once again i took a million pictures, but tried to choose some interesting ones. this is some sort of aquaduct or something.

this was the center of town where the government buildings and public square was. now some birds call it home.

They call this the "arc de triomphe." not quite the one in paris, but still pretty cool.

This is just off the main road of the town. these houses were of the weathly people and many also had shops and businesses attached. sweet!

this house is called "the house of columns." i claimed it as my own as it is so beautiful! lots of columns and a beautiful courtyard. i'll be moving in next month.

it's so cold!

My store keeper says "welcome to teresa's update!!"

He is my main food man, i just walk across the street!

(yep, that is the toilet paper i was about to buy)

it's officially winter. i mean, it's been chilly for a while now, but now i'm just freezing my booty off. this morning i woke up, and for the first time, wasn't toasty warm under my four blankets. "this is odd" i thought as i felt a little chill. then i looked at my handy dandy clock thermometer. 47 degrees in my apartment.

the snow is beautiful!

in fact, as i sit here typing this to you all, my hands are so cold that they can only move very sluggishly. tried typing with my fleece gloves, but that just makes it too bulky. The mountains around town are covered in snow. while this makes for extremely picturesque scenery, it makes me just about willing to give my left arm for a furnace.

hmmm or maybe i could roll myself into one of these rugs?

so whats the big news these days. well, yesterday i got a new bike. it's a trek bike, and apparently cost over 500 dollars, so basically PC will kill me if anything happens to it. But wow, it's really zwine (beautiful). i went on my first ride this morning, but despite the daily running that i've been doing for the past 2 1/2 months i felt like i was going to die. my heart was racing, my legs were hurting. Really makes me realize how out of shape i still am.

i participated in making couscous for the first time at the home

of some new friends. mmm mmm good!

in other news, my theater club actually held a little performance on friday night. the actors were excited, and we had a crowd full of siblings and friends. despite not having much time for rehearsals, they pulled it off, and i consider this a large accomplishment. It proves that we actually can get something done, and i think we can only go up from here.

our performers and the teachers who lead the whole thing

spectators!

On thursday i'm leaving town for a little work and a little play. i have to go up to the capital for my mid-term physical, and have added a few vacation days before and after to make a nice little vacation. i'm going to visit some friends in the mountains who live close to an incredible waterfall, and then to an old roman city all in ruins.

these "snack carts" sell candy, nuts, seeds and lots of goodies

and are located all over town! this is by far the best one

i've seen in this country.

despite how great work has been the last few months, i am ready to get out for a bit. my location certainly makes me feel secluded and i'm getting a little stir crazy. The last night away will be christmas eve at a friends house, and then i will arrive back home on christmas day. maybe i'll make myself a little christmas feast.

maybe my feast will include peas. do you see how

many peas i shelled to get this tiny little bowl!!!! ridiculous!!!

but they are just so much better fresh. i tell you, canned peas

should not even be called peas. they dont taste the same at all!!!

I hope you all had a great thanksgiving and are fully in the holiday spirit. i love and miss you all!

this is my santa. i bought it for about 1 dollar

from that cart you saw earlier. sweet!

I am one spoiled little girl. thanks family!

this is my christmas tree. courtesy of my lovely sister. apparently it will grow when i add the magic water. i'll let you all know how it goes! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

-I would like to say a big thanks to my dad, sue and little david for sending me a new camera for christmas. all of the pictures on this page were taken with it, and dont they just look fabulous!!-