Christmas in Majuro

So I’m sitting here…. Trying to remember the last time I wrote a blog, and I’m realizing it has been quite some time. My bad. Christmas has come and passed, and there have been many stories in between that I suppose I should fill you in on.

Our class Christmas party was entertaining. I only had 17 of my 23 kids show up, but we had a recess most of the day, and then went to the library to watch a movie. The kids had voted on a tradition where the parents bring in presents for the students to open, and we also had ourselves a giant potluck feast o fill our stomachs. The parents definitely went overboard! We had 2 tables full of food, and a table and a half full of presents. I took advantage of the relaxed day to take some pictures with my kids.

The days leading up to Christmas were full of grading, grading, and more grading. Grades were due the day after Christmas, and since Jaimie and I were staying at the resort, we wanted to get them done by Christmas Eve. We had music or movies constantly playing in the background, hoping to keep us entertained while we slaved away at grading. Finally, Christmas Eve came, we turned our grades in, and got a ride to the hotel.

Christmas in Majuro was admittedly lonelier than I thought… but it definitely was worth it. We stayed in the hotel here for 2 nights; Christmas Eve and Christmas. We packed up all of our stuff (including wrapped Christmas presents) into our huge suitcases and headed off to the hotel. When we walked into the room, a wave of air-conditioning washed over us. We were in love. The room had two spacious beds, a TV, a nice bathroom, and a balcony overlooking the ocean. We turned up the AC as high as we could so that it would feel as close to Christmas as possible. We hadn’t really planned much as what we would actually do when we got there, but it was a nice stay. We stacked our presents under a lamp (our makeshift Christmas tree) and we plopped down on the beds and relaxed. The next 2 days were full of mixed emotions. We were happy to be in such a nice place, but very sad and missing our families at home. The worst part was that the internet was completely down for both days, making it impossible to contact or talk with our family at all. That put a damper on the days, but we still enjoyed ourselves by watching silly marathons of Micronesian MTV shows.

The days following Christmas have been a bit boring actually. It’s hard to find things to do here to entertain you for a day, much less a whole extra week. Yesterday was church, which had an entertaining twist. We got ready and went to church (I wear one of the new dresses my parents got me as a Christmas present) and sat through the beginning of it. Once we knelt or prayer though, I got this really funny feeling…. My head got really tingly and my eyes started getting really fuzzy. I remember thinking that I should get something to fan myself, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground, feeling like I was in a deep sleep. I woke up to Jaimie leaning over me saying, “Carrie, are you OK?” I was really out of it. Thankfully not very many people saw, mostly just the row sitting behind me. I was alert enough to say, “We should go.” So we snuck out the side door and I went back to the apartment and slept for awhile.
That’s basically all that has happened lately. We’re at the resort today, and the internet is working pretty well for the first time in a very long time…. I talked to my parents for like an hour or so… it had been over 2 weeks since I’d heard their voices. I am a very happy camper today. :)

I wanted to thank everyone for the lovely presents they sent to me for Christmas! They meant more than you know. I really appreciate Walla Walla’s packages from people I didn’t even know. It made me feel very special. :)

As far as things I’m needing around here…. My list isn’t very long.

I am always in need of food. It seems like that is the one thing that disappears the quickest ;) Snack foods are always delightful. I got some trail mix from Marissa the other day and ate it in a day. Haha. It was really delicious. I’m always craving like Ritz crackers or Goldfish, or snacky items like that.

I really like instant mixes; like blueberry muffin mix, or pancake mix, or anything mix. Anything that I can just add water to is a lifesaver. (or eggs, or oil… you know.)

I have had a horrible craving for anything veggie food. Redi Burger, Little Links, Big Franks, you name it. Sometimes I swear I can smell it cooking…. What I wouldn’t give for a Boca Burger right now ;)

ANYHOW. I hate asking for things, but people have been asking…. ;) So there you go! Haha.
I hope that everyone has enjoyed their cold Christmas… I hear in Walla Walla it has snowed a good few feet, and it has gotten close to zero degrees! I will enjoy my warm Christmas season for all of you (I went swimming this morning and got burnt?) J It is quite a change, and I do miss Christmasy weather, but I know that this time next year I’ll be wishing for my island weather back, so I’ll enjoy it while I can. I miss you and love you guys, especially around the holidays. Know you all mean the world to me, and I am always praying for you and thinking of you.

Can you believe it’s almost 2009?

Happy New Year!