Merry Christmas to all! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday this year. My Christmas was fantastic! I spent the 23rd-26th at Mutinondo- a privately owned piece of land that is used for camping and tourist visits. It’s about 80 km south of Mpika and about 30 km into the bush (east). The couple that owns it is elderly and really quite friendly. They acquired the 10,000 hectares of land back around 1995 when an American wanting the same piece of land backed out of the deal with the local chiefs. Mike and Lari are white, and Lari was born in Zambia (both have English families). The land is incredible out there- huge rolling mountains that look like the backs of animals who have fallen asleep . The Mutinondo river runs through the area and has a bunch of waterfalls alon the way. The ten of us who went hitched or took cabs to the turnoff and then got picked up by Mike. The drive after turning off of the tarmac took about an hour so it’s a wonder that they found this area. Mike told us that when they were first deciding if they wanted to go ahead and take the land, they would just walk for days in different directions and take in the scenery. There were no villages in this area when they first started up and it was very important to them not to have to relocate anyone. Incredible to think that these people may have been some of the first people to walk around there in hundreds of years. The campsites there were really nice- with hot showers, nice sinks, mirrors, cooking and storage areas, picnic tables, and drop toilets that had an eye level window cut out so you had a view whiles doing your business. I don’t really think of myself as a camper and I think the reason why is because of campsites that are UNLIKE Mutinondo. It’s so frustrating to go camping here and not have a place to sit or a firepit to cook in. I know that sounds pretty hoity toity and stuck up, but I feel like I’ve pretty much been camping for the last two years in my hut. I don’t really feel the need to go somewhere else and sleep in a tent only to have to sit on the ground, search for water, and not bathe… ANYWAYS- this was a great place to camp out. We actually got to set our tents up in this huge insaka so in case it rained, we would be protected. We went hiking up a huge mountain on the first day and took in some really beautiful views. We also went horseback riding and swimming in waterfalls. In fact one of the waterfalls had such a gentle slope down, we slid down the drop and got to jump in these incredibly deep holes set in the waterfall. For Christmas dinner, we ate at the lodge with some of the other guests (white Namibians and South Africans staying in the chalets). There was ham, turkey, potatoes, vegetables (BROCCOLI!!!), and 3 different Christmas desserts, and of course lots of wine. The dining room was all lit by candles and lanterns and definitely created a very festive Christmas atmosphere. It was indescribably odd jumping down waterfalls and getting sunburned on Christmas day, but so much fun. I couldn’t have asked for a better holiday. They day after returning home after my nice little holiday, I went to my first Zambian wedding. I wasn’t exactly invited, but my counterpart was and had asked the families if it was okay for me to tag along. When the day came however, my counterpart was too sick to bike the 25 km to the wedding. I figured I just wouldn’t go since I didn’t really know anyone else who was going and would try to find another one to go to before I leave the village. But no no no… Lawrence, bless him, wanted me to go so badly that he called the father of the groom (the Catachist at the Catholic church, so I kind of know him) and told him to expect me and make sure that I got a good seat. Oy vey. So I biked the 25 k myself and arrived at the school where the ceremony was to take place. People of course know about me, but I just kind of stood under a tree and waited for something to happen. Eventually a group of women invited me over to sit with them which was very kind. People were bringing all of the desks from the school outside into a shady area and it turned out we were waiting for a priest from town to show up to officiate the ceremony. Two hours later, he rolls up and things start to get underway. A local bwana teacher drove the bride and groom into the school yard honking his horn and driving like a crazy person. Surprisingly, the bride was wearing a big white dress and veil and the groom had a nice suit. Because the groom is a teacher and his father is a catechist, this was a more fancy wedding than most are in the village. Essentially the ceremony was a mass including the Eucharist which was something I’ve never seen in Zambia so far. The couple never smiled once and there was no kiss, but there was some slight pinkie holding. A church choir sang a lot of songs and there was the odd mayo getting up a dancing a bit. The ceremony lasted about two hours so by this time it was getting to be late afternoon and I had a long bike ride ahead of me. I decided to skip out on the reception and just head home. I know I missed out on the fun part, but hopefully there may be one more wedding in the village before I leave. Everyone LOVES weddings here and just say it’s a big drunken dance party, so I’d really like to see what that’s all about. It is really good to be back in the village for practically a whole week finally! I was going to be heading up north almost immediately after Christmas but decided to stick around for a bit. I just can’t stand transport here and hate packing up and leaving the village all the time. I have to be in Lusaka on the 3rd, so I’d rather not be there any longer than necessary. My garden is growing slowly but surely. We haven’t had much rain at all so far, so things are kind of precarious. The villagers are especially worried since they have planted all of their crops already. I’m hoping we get some substantial rains soon because I know that my house is leaking, but I’m not sure where. I haven’t been in the house during a strong rain yet this year, and I’d like to try to fix the leaks if possible. I don't think Ill be able to post before the New Year so I'd like to give my new years greetings now. I wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe New Year. My thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of those volunteers in Mozambique who have experienced a tragic loss. 2012 will be a year of new beginnings for myself and I can't wait to see what new adventures life has in store for me. I have been so incredibly blessed with this amazing life, and I pray that I continue to experience new and exciting things and meet more great people.