LET ME TELL YOU BOUT' CHRISTMAS!!!

So this Christmas was bitter sweet in the truest sense of the saying. On the one hand I missed my family terribly at what is my favourite time of year in getting together with the ones I love the dearest. They know that I would have loved to be with them during this festive time.

(My beautiful family- I love you!)

However this Christmas day gone was one I will never forgot. I visited every child associated with Hope for Himalayan Kids (both currently still residing in children's centres, and those who have already been integrated into smaller family based alternative accommodation) to deliver gifts to everyone of them. We shared also shared the spirit, culture and story of Christmas with all of them!!!! So as a team we delivered about fifty presents, which are funded by the same international donor every year.

The first group we visited was the George Ella girls group. This is a supported accommodation (rented house) where teenaged girls live with a mentor. They had all previously lived in Sahara Children's Centre since they were young, now they live almost independently, worry about normal things like what cool clothes they get to spend their Christmas cash on!!!!!

(The girls patiently listening to my colleague interpreting the culturally adapted Christmas story I told... tried to make choose to as many local adjectives as possible...)

(I think they got it once I told them that when they couldn't find any room at any of the guest houses Jesus had to be born in the goat house and then the three gurus turned up with gifts.)

(The happy girls, their cash for buying their new clothes- we didn't want to assume we knew what was cool!)

The next house we visited was the family group. Again, a successful deinstitutionalisation case, as the 6 children who have been "fostered/adopted" by a mother and father live as a small family now. Here they are so greatfull for their gifts.

At that point in the morning I also got to go pick up my American friend Jess who is visiting me for Christmas and she was thrust into all of the festivities!!!
So we moved onto New Ray of Life Children's Centre. An institution with with about 18 children still residing in it. So amazing to see the expectation on the faces of the children as this is the only gift they get for themselves for the whole year. They sat patiently through the Christmas story and then the chaos erupted when the gift giving started.... Back packs, hand bags, hacky sacks, wrist watched, trucks, transformers....And  the gratitude was at a level I had never seen in children before!!!!

The last stop was Sahara Children's Centre where there were about 25 children waiting for us and we recieved a beautiful greeting of a decorated poster of a tree with fairy lights and everything (very fancy!).

We were waiting for a long time and we did not know why there was a delay in getting all the children in the room to give out the presents..Not usually a problem... then we realised they has been dressing Swikritee (the youngest child at Sahara) up like Santa! It was the most delightful and mildly destrubing thing I had ever seen:

Again an eruption of wrapping paper and smiles from ear to ear. This was the last of our visits and we spent the most time here, dancing and celebrating with the children. This Christmas taught me a lot about gratitude. I want to learn the gratitude of these children. And I look forward to seeing my family and friends again. More about these special children soon. I wish you all a festive season. xoxoxoxo

(Happy boys with their Hacky Sacks!)