On the 1st day of Christmas, Africa gave to us 1 birthday celebration for Jesus
On the 2nd day of Christmas, Africa gave to us 2 cases of malaria
On the 3rd day of Christmas, Africa gave to us 3 visiting Santas
On the 4th day of Christmas, Africa gave to us 4 tubs of choco-max
On the 5th day of Christmas, Africa gave to us 5 prophet dresses
On the 6th day of Christmas, Africa gave to us a 6 hr church service
On the 7th day of Christmas, Africa gave to us 7 carolers singing
On the 8th day of Christmas, Africa gave to us 8 church bells ringing
On the 9th day of Christmas, Africa gave to us 9 cups of hot chocolate
On the 10th day of Christmas, Africa gave to us 10 fried dough balls
On the 11th day of Christmas, Africa gave to us, 11 plates of French fries
On the 12th day of Christmas, Africa gave to us 12 children visiting (let’s be real, it was definitely more!)
Christmas in our village in Côte d’Ivoire was different from any Christmas I’ve ever experienced in America, but many of the differences were refreshing. It was a simple Christmas spent with family and friends. There was no rushing around, no fighting, and no stress. I didn’t receive many gifts this year, but I found that I truly appreciated what I did get, more than in years past when I have received much more than I needed. My favorite gifts were a new shirt from my mom and a package of chocolate chip cookies from our squad leaders. Those things are precious commodities when you are living in the bush of Africa. I also found that the children who lived near us also had a different mindset. Each girl received one doll, a doll that in the States would be found at a dollar store. But you would have thought they were American Girl dolls the way they cherished and cared for them. I mean, they kept putting them back in their plastic wrappers, I assume to keep them from getting dirty and messed up.
There were some similarities of this Christmas to one at home, and they made the day extra special. We started the day with a family breakfast, which brought back memories of Christmas brunch at our house for more years than I can remember. We drank lots of got chocolate, which is one of my favorite winter drinks. We lounged after breakfast, which is always the case with my family after gifts and breakfast on Christmas morning. We even had a sweet treat of fried dough with sugar on top, which was a decent substitute for Christmas cookies. Overall, it was a day that I will never forget, and one that will always hold a special place in my memories!
