Life is going well. For once, I may actually be tanner than at least some people! It doesn’t feel like the holidays, because I’m laying out at the pool instead of wearing sweatshirts. Still doing tea/coffee and hot chocolate, though – heard that drinking hot beverages actually cools you off in warm weather, although I’m not sure I buy it. We’re trying to plan ahead for what Christmas cookies, etc. we may make, as the closest grocery store is more than two hours away and spontaneity is not terribly practical. We’ll be celebrating Christmas with the mission, and Eden is also here without her family. I wish I could be home with everyone for the holidays, but at least I’m not alone, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy them. Martha has been teaching reading, Bible, etc. at one of the local schools regularly (a majority of the schools are incredibly substandard; the students often don’t come to class because they don’t know if the teacher will show up, and vice versa). She asked them what Christmas was, and was met with puzzled expressions. Some of the suggestions given were rice (an extravagance reserved for special occasions), and a dance. Most kids in the States would associate Christmas with the birth of Christ, whether or not they celebrate it themselves. This culture is so isolated! I’m starting in on the Sunday school rotation, and I get to do the Christmas story, which is sweet. There have been about ninety kids attending Sunday school recently, which would be chaotic enough without the addition of crying babies, fire ants, and bawling cows, but it’s awesome, too. The kids get tam-tams (K’jong for “sweets”, in actuality chewable vitamins) if they behave reasonably, which helps combat some of the malnourishment so prevalent here.

Random story: the guards killed a six-foot cobra this week! They saw the snake near the house, and scared it out of the yard. The snake attempted to hide in a woodpile, but the K’jong stood ready, setting their bows and arrows, while one of the men threw the logs off the pile one by one (these guys are fearless!). When they got close, the snake reared up to strike, and one of the guards shot it through the neck. Pretty impressive. They shot the snake several more times, and when it still hadn’t died, they wound it around the arrows and repeatedly beat its head into the ground. I’m usually bothered when I heard about animals dying, but somehow snakes are in a completely separate category.