Seven other
volunteers and I spent Christmas in Nepalgunj at a sweet little hotel called
Traveller’s Village. For the past several weeks, Candy, its loquacious and
amusing owner, had been pulling together ingredients for a Christmas feast. She didn't disappoint. We
dined on roast chicken, stuffing and gravy, green beans with almonds, mashed
potatoes, orange juice sweet potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, warm bread
and butter, and, to top it all off, hot apple pie a la mode. All throughout our eating
and chatting, Candy shouted orders at her kitchen staff to refill the serving plates
and at us to eat more off of ours. As expected, in the end we fell into contented
food comas. If you ever happen to be in Nepalgunj and find yourself pining for
some good American home cooking, Candy is your girl.
The other festivities
included gift giving, spirits, singing, games, and relaxing, but all were far from
conventional. We exchanged presents white elephant-style, with gifts including
pickled mangos, freeze-dried scrambled eggs, and a baby doll. With no eggnog to
be had for several thousand miles, we resorted to sweet wine and apple
vodka-Sprite cocktails for Christmas cheer. A hilarious, five-hour game of
Trivial Pursuit (1980s version) was sped to an early conclusion by just asking
each other questions until one answered correctly. Holiday music was abundant,
but for me the more memorable moments were the intense Eminem rap battles and
passionate John Mayer sing-alongs. We ended the evening by kicking back and
trading off giving massages. Even though there was no snow, stockings, tree,
gingerbread, Santa, or any of the many other things that make up my typical Christmas back
in the states, our celebration was one not soon to be forgotten.
The Lion King was on!
Plus, on the ride
back to Dang, we saw an elephant!
A belated happy
Hanukah, merry Christmas, and happy New Year to you all!
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