Heading Home for the Holidays!

In C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, the land of Narnia is described as a place where it's always winter, but never Christmas. Here in Buenos Aires, I seem to have encountered the opposite problem: though my calendar says we are rapidly approaching Christmas Day, the current season is certainly not winter. Alas, such is life in the Southern Hemisphere, where December is a summer month. Though I'll admit that a summertime Christmas is great in theory -- stories of celebrations at the beach, fireworks, and the like explain why Argentines still deem this is their favorite time of year -- this winterless Christmas is a bit disappointing in reality. There's just something about passing store windows in which Christmas trees are the backdrop to mannequins flaunting bikinis that just doesn't sit well with me. Likewise, humming "Sleigh Ride" or "Winter Wonderland" in 90-degree weather makes caroling seem more of a joke than a joy. However, in light of the cultural & seasonal differences the beginning of the so-called "holiday season" has brought, the past several weeks in BA have been a wonderful start to what I know will be an even better holiday season at home.

Initially, the thought of celebrating Thanksgiving away from home for the first time really weighed on my heart. I hated the thought of missing the precious milestone of Cade's first family holiday, even moreso than the the thought of missing my first A&M vs. t.u. game in 19 years (which, you can imagine, I found practically unbearable). But, as an international round-trip flight for a mere 72 hours back in the States was utterly out of the question, I decided celebrating El Día de la Acción de Gracias away from home, and in a country that doesn't actually celebrate it, no less, didn't have to put a damper on my holiday cheer.

As soon as our program director announced that the Tuesday before Thanksgiving (as most of the group left town over the break) would be our official group Thanksgiving celebration, holiday preparations began. An assortment of recipes was collected, cooking roles were delegated, and just as we'd wished, the holiday cheer began to spread. After hours upon hours in the kitchen, when all was said and done, Casa Holden smelled like, well -- home. There were favorite recipes from nearly everyone in the group, creating enough food to feed the 70+ guests at our Thanksgiving feast (including two special American visitors, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and U.S. Ambassador to Argentina Vilma Martinez). Though we all admit the turkey and dressing weren't quite like Mom's, we treasured the fact that all 54 students, plus our program directors, professors, and visitors were able to come together and celebrate. Our Thanksgiving celebration was the perfect opportunity for us to give thanks for and remember each of the incredible experiences we've shared this semester, and that was truly home enough for all of us.

After class on Wednesday, several friends and I left BA to spend the weekend in Córdoba, a province to the northwest of Buenos Aires. We stayed at the 200-year-old Estancia Ongamira and had an incredible weekend filled with hikes, horseback rides, exceptional food (they even surprised us with a little "piece" of home -- homemade pumpkin pie, which doesn't even exist down here -- for Thursday's dessert!). Overall, our time in Córdoba was the perfect way to escape the hustle & bustle of busy BA and enjoy rest up before the crunch time of semester's end. Now, as yesterday marked our last day of classes, we're all faced with finding the balance between writing and studying and enjoying our last weekend here before we leave for a month and a half. Again, I'm amazed at how quickly the time has flown! I am equally as grateful, though, that I can look back and see the incredible ways in which our group has changed, bonded, and grown over the past 3 months. We started as 54 students with nearly nothing in common besides our interest in studying abroad in Argentina. Now, an entire semester later, we find ourselves to truly have grown into a family. We have experienced life abroad together in the rawest of forms, and we have seen that each of us has much more to teach and to learn than we ever could have foreseen. Better yet, we are only halfway through our time in this incredible place; there is certainly much, much more in store for us, and I am so excited to see how that plays out next semester.

Just as I have been thrilled to cherish my time here, I likewise look forward to cherishing every moment of my time at home. Thoughts of going grocery shopping and understanding where and what everything is; of getting a haircut without fear that a minor mis-translation will end up as a mullet; of ordering in a restaurant and knowing exactly what the waiter will bring -- well, I'd be lying if I said these thoughts weren't grounds for quite a bit of excitement for my return to the States. But more than those conveniences of daily life, I am ecstatic for the refreshment that I know reuniting with you, my precious friends and family, will bring. Skype and e-mail have made communication this semester so much easier, but I haven't forgotten that nothing replaces real, face-to-face, tangible interaction. My Thanksgiving abroad was a wonderful one, but I have no doubt that my ever-nearing Christmas at home will be even better. After all, there really is no place like home for the holidays!

As we gather together this Christmas season, may we remember the glorious birth of our Lord and Savior, the greatest joy the world has ever seen. May we be humbled as the traveling parents, awestruck as the fearful shepherds, and devoted as the searching magi. May we seek wisdom from our Wonderful Counselor, trust in the power of our Mighty God, have faith in the unchanging nature of our Everlasting Father, and find rest in our knowledge of the Prince of Peace. Above all, may we kneel at the manger and worship the Name above all names as we call His name Jesus.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever."
- Isaiah 9:6-7a

Christmas blessings from far and near to you and all of yours,
Margaret