One of the hardest things about doing voluntary work overseas for a prolonged period of time is that you inevitably miss a fair amount of events like birthdays, weddings and Christmas’s. This wasn’t my first Christmas away from home but it was the first year when I spent the whole period in a warm country. It’s a very strange feeling to know that back home the nights are drawing in, everyone is getting ready for Christmas and snow, yes snow, is actually falling *before* Christmas.
While everyone in the UK was enjoying (or enduring) the heaviest downfall in the last twenty years I was forced to console myself sipping cold beer on an outside roof terrace in a short sleeved t-shirt applying sun cream every few hours. Ah the things I suffer!
Christmas lights were hung around the city and on many of the houses although in the house where I was staying there were no signs of Christmas. I wasn’t sure if the family celebrated Christmas or didn’t have enough disposable income to take it too seriously. Nevertheless it left me with a bit of a conundrum as to whether I should buy presents or not.
If I didn’t buy them anything but they bought me something it could be embarrassing, however it could be equally uncomfortable if I bought them something when they had not got anything for me. I was not expecting anything, and given their income it was unlikely but I felt I should at least get them something just incase.
In the end I opted to get gifts that the whole family (including myself) could share. I bought some Christmas cookies, a bottle of wine, and a type of cake called ´Panaton´ that is very popular at Christmas in Peru. I wrapped all these up and placed them on the kitchen take late on Christmas Eve.
In the morning I was glad to see I’d made the right choice. The family hadn’t gotten me anything (and I would not have expected them too) but the gifts I had chosen hit the right level. Also the fact that I was able to share them too was a plus!
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