John's Chapter Three: Away from home for the holidays
This was my first year spending the holidays away from my family. And I have to admit, I was a little worried how it would go. Would I feel lonely? Miss our traditions? Be jonseing for some sugar cookies? Well the answer ended up being yes to all of the above, but I also had a really good time.Of course I missed my friends and family back home. And as happy as I was to call and text with them, I was also painfully aware of how different it was from laying around watching a dumb movie and making jokes or sitting down together to eat. But I was also happily surprised by how much community I felt here.Maybe it's the way we mark the holidays. Parties, decorations, big meals, trips, and all the other things we do to spend time with each other and make that time feel special. In a way it seems like they were designed to crystallize new relationships. Friends that I've known here for what feels like only a short while were so excited to include me in their traditions and so warm and welcoming when I joined.And what great new experiences to share with them: fireworks on the beach, finding the baby Jesus in the rosca bread, watching the pilgrims for the Virgin of Guadalupe, or the fair for the Three Kings. And of course some of them were old experiences in a new light: watching a group of Mexican high schoolers acting out A Christmas Carol, searching for gift swap presents in the market, and seeing Christmas lights on a palapa thatched roof.Or maybe it's the way holidays help us mark the passage of time. Normally in the hustle and bustle of work and school, a week can slip by without you even noticing. And in the day to day you loose a sense of totality. There's only a now - what needs to be done now, what is happening now, what are you thinking now, etc. But as things slow down over the holidays you have a chance to reflect and look forward. To feel a sense of culmination.Sure in some ways I've only been here for a short time but in other ways it's also been a fairly long time. Birthdays, classes, meetings, trips, parties, the heat of summer, and the "cold" of a Mexican winter. Days where not much happened and we just sat and talked. And days where we were overwhelmingly busy. Basically life, and what better way to get to know people or a place than that?Holidays away from home isn't something I'd do every year, but I'm glad I did this year. It helped me realize how much of a community I have here in Carrillo and will leave me with memories that I'll always treasure.Though I wish there had been more sugar cookies.John is the Communications and Fundraising Manager at Na'atik. Feel free to send him your Na'atik memories and experiences - or stories about spending the holidays away from home - at communications@naatikmexico.org.
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