One of the most amazing things about Christmas is being with your family. Because of thisI did not think it possible to have such an amazing day without my family. I woke up and had the opportunity to talk to everyone that was at my Grandma’s house. This put me in a good mood and as soon as I was done talking to them I put on my new Christmas outfit that was green and I put a lovely Santa hat on my head. I was decked out in Christmas gear! We went down to have breakfast and Shati had cooked us a delicious meal of rice pancakes with fresh applesauce. Shati and the other kitchen ladies had been awake since four in the morning. They cooked special food for all the kids. For breakfast the kids got noodles (they called the loodulls) and for lunch they got a special egg curry that looked absolutely amazing. I’m pretty sure the kids ate all day because many of them had a stomach ache by the end.
After our breakfast I helped Mrs. Waid get ready for Christmas. We accomplished the goal of getting everything across campus so that the kids didn’t see their gifts and that meant that the fun was just about to begin. The first gifts we gave out were to the older girls. All of them had already received a trunk that they could keep their possessions in (The kids don’t really have a special place that they can keep their things so that other kids don’t get into them). They also got a packet full of goodies such as jump ropes, coloring books, and color pencils. After that the older boys received their toy cars (the chevron ones that have faces) and a toy ball. The little girls all got big dolls that were made by women in pollywog (which gives work to the women in the villages). The kids all got their gifts and that meant that it was time for the caregivers to receive their tokens of appreciation for all the hard work they do. Mrs. Waid had gotten all of them a sharwa camis’ or a saris and we (the student missionaries) had the privilege of modeling the outfits. They called it a fashion show because we would hold out the outfit and wrap it around us and if a caregiver wanted the garment they would raise their hand and we threw it to them. It was so much fun and everyone was laughing hysterically.
Mrs. Waid also got us presents. She gave Lauren, Heather, and I saris. As all the fun was dying down and the children were finishing up their lunch of egg curry a few of us sat around talking. All of a sudden shwapna came up and started dancing. She tried to get Heather to dance with her but Heather protested. She then stuck her hand out to me and I gladly received her hand so that she could teach me how to dance. This tickled all the Begnali’s to see a white (Adventist) American girl trying to dance like a Bengali. They enjoyed it so much that they decided to get louder music and go someplace where we had more room. We ended up in the back of campus on the threshing floor with Bani, Shwapna, Lauren, and I dancing around. Papri, Heather, and a few of the kids were our audience and we just let loose on some moves. All the Bengali’s were asking us to teach them some American dance moves but I don’t think they realized that Lauren and I
obviously don’t know how to dance and so we busted out the Q-tip and the sprinkler. After goofing off for a long time we found out that we were going to have our lunch early and so we walked over to the kitchen where Shati had cooked us another beautiful meal. To top it off we had the most amazing apple pie that she had baked for us. Food makes me happy.
We thought we would have time to rest for a while but before we knew it Tuli wanted us to practice for our Bengali dance that we were suppose to do for the Christmas Program that night (it wasn’t like any Christmas program you’ve been to). When we were done practicing Tuli informed us that it was time to get ready even though we had over 2 hours before the program. I thought this sounded weird because who needs 2 hours to get ready? When we arrived to Tuli’s house I realized why it was going to take so long. First we had to get Alta painted all over our feet and hands. Alta is this red dye that is made out of flowers that they use to decorate themselves when they dance the traditional Bengali dance. Then they put on our Saris and put a thick layer of eyeliner around our eyes despite my protests. They also put these long braided extensions in the back of our head. It looked ridiculous because it didn’t match but it just made the kids laugh. Kakoli told me that I looked like I was supposed to get married (I hope I don’t have red feet/hands and Egyptian styled make up on my wedding day). We were all done with our preparations just before the program was supposed to begin.
Tuli was the leader of the program and she is the queen of pulling people on stage to sing or dance when they had no clue that she was going to do it. It was hilarious to watch her drag people up and she succeeded at getting Mrs. Waid and Rony to sing. The baby room caregivers came out and gave a baby fashion show where they modeled the baby toilet, burp rags, and bottles. It was amazing to see the normally quiet caregivers breaking out of their shells.
I missed my family so much but I am thanking God for such an amazing Christmas. I will never have one like it again. I pray that all of you had an amazing Christmas as well!
After our breakfast I helped Mrs. Waid get ready for Christmas. We accomplished the goal of getting everything across campus so that the kids didn’t see their gifts and that meant that the fun was just about to begin. The first gifts we gave out were to the older girls. All of them had already received a trunk that they could keep their possessions in (The kids don’t really have a special place that they can keep their things so that other kids don’t get into them). They also got a packet full of goodies such as jump ropes, coloring books, and color pencils. After that the older boys received their toy cars (the chevron ones that have faces) and a toy ball. The little girls all got big dolls that were made by women in pollywog (which gives work to the women in the villages). The kids all got their gifts and that meant that it was time for the caregivers to receive their tokens of appreciation for all the hard work they do. Mrs. Waid had gotten all of them a sharwa camis’ or a saris and we (the student missionaries) had the privilege of modeling the outfits. They called it a fashion show because we would hold out the outfit and wrap it around us and if a caregiver wanted the garment they would raise their hand and we threw it to them. It was so much fun and everyone was laughing hysterically.
Mrs. Waid also got us presents. She gave Lauren, Heather, and I saris. As all the fun was dying down and the children were finishing up their lunch of egg curry a few of us sat around talking. All of a sudden shwapna came up and started dancing. She tried to get Heather to dance with her but Heather protested. She then stuck her hand out to me and I gladly received her hand so that she could teach me how to dance. This tickled all the Begnali’s to see a white (Adventist) American girl trying to dance like a Bengali. They enjoyed it so much that they decided to get louder music and go someplace where we had more room. We ended up in the back of campus on the threshing floor with Bani, Shwapna, Lauren, and I dancing around. Papri, Heather, and a few of the kids were our audience and we just let loose on some moves. All the Bengali’s were asking us to teach them some American dance moves but I don’t think they realized that Lauren and I
obviously don’t know how to dance and so we busted out the Q-tip and the sprinkler. After goofing off for a long time we found out that we were going to have our lunch early and so we walked over to the kitchen where Shati had cooked us another beautiful meal. To top it off we had the most amazing apple pie that she had baked for us. Food makes me happy.
We thought we would have time to rest for a while but before we knew it Tuli wanted us to practice for our Bengali dance that we were suppose to do for the Christmas Program that night (it wasn’t like any Christmas program you’ve been to). When we were done practicing Tuli informed us that it was time to get ready even though we had over 2 hours before the program. I thought this sounded weird because who needs 2 hours to get ready? When we arrived to Tuli’s house I realized why it was going to take so long. First we had to get Alta painted all over our feet and hands. Alta is this red dye that is made out of flowers that they use to decorate themselves when they dance the traditional Bengali dance. Then they put on our Saris and put a thick layer of eyeliner around our eyes despite my protests. They also put these long braided extensions in the back of our head. It looked ridiculous because it didn’t match but it just made the kids laugh. Kakoli told me that I looked like I was supposed to get married (I hope I don’t have red feet/hands and Egyptian styled make up on my wedding day). We were all done with our preparations just before the program was supposed to begin.
Tuli was the leader of the program and she is the queen of pulling people on stage to sing or dance when they had no clue that she was going to do it. It was hilarious to watch her drag people up and she succeeded at getting Mrs. Waid and Rony to sing. The baby room caregivers came out and gave a baby fashion show where they modeled the baby toilet, burp rags, and bottles. It was amazing to see the normally quiet caregivers breaking out of their shells.
I missed my family so much but I am thanking God for such an amazing Christmas. I will never have one like it again. I pray that all of you had an amazing Christmas as well!
The Spirit and reason of Christmas is amazing in itself. It would of been better if you were here with us but we know that you were needed there. I'm very thankful that your Christmas was amazing and you were able to bring a ray of sunshine to others.
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