And to All a Good Night

Of all the times of the year that I thought I would be homesick, Christmas would be it. For the last four years, it has probably been the time that I have been most likely to put away my Blackberry or Black MacBook and enjoy my family the way that they should be enjoyed (That is a public admittance to the fact that I have taken much more important things for granted). Regardless of whether or not you think X-mas is overly commercialized, its a perfect opportunity for me to see my family, eat, cook, and give--in a lot of ways. It has also been Christmas, in combination with my ongoing thoughts on culture, to realize how many traditions my family actually has--those related to Navidad and those not.

This year, I spent my first Christmas away from home--the people, not the place--in the bustling metropolis of La Paz, Bolivia. La Paz is an unbelievable city filled with joyful citizens (maybe because they have a tradition called the 13th month of pay!!!), pretty safe streets, and really cheap accomodation. The accomodation is so cheap, in fact, that three of my new traveling buddies and I were able to rent an entire apartment for four days, so we could watch football (of the international sort), reruns of American shows with spanish subtitles, and cook a proper Christmas dinner.

I spent the first couple of days crammed into some party hostel that I didn't think was a party hostel. It reminded me of yet another question I was asked during my Bonderman interview--"How are we going to make sure that you aren't just going to spend all of your time partying with Australians, Brits, Americans, etc.?" I can't remember what I said, but the folks on the committee can be assured that I won't, because I hate it. There is nothing rewarding about going to a bar in your hostel, drinking until you puke, waking up everyone in your dorm, puking again, and then yelling at the people who wake up in the morning on a normal schedule because they woke your hungover-self up (as I have seen almost everytime I have ever stayed in a hostel like the awful one I stayed at in La Paz). The bright side of these experiences are, if for some reason I ever decide to start a party hostel, I will know the proper way to do it...

After the second night of Hostel X, a few of us busted a move out and away, into the sweet oasis that is Hotel Continental. After we got settled, we made a list, checked it twice, and headed to the market to find what we needed for Christmas dinner.

All it ever takes for me is about 5 minutes in a market place, and I am instantly reminded of why I enjoy traveling. A market is the heart of the city, and the quickest way to knowing a country. Identity spills out from the stalls--the vendors, the food, the clothes, and more. I highly recommend going to the market as soon as you get to a city... It will make you excited to be there.

After acquiring all of the necessary ingredients, we returned to our humble abode to relax... Though, it did take about two days to find everything...



Dinner was great. Four courses, plenty of swearing at baked goods, an oven that didn't heat up past 250º, a full bodied chicken resembling the goose from 'A Christmas Story,' chorizo sausage stuffing, and an opportunity to put all of those skills gained by watching the Food Network late at night to use. We even found a french press to make real coffee!!! Plus, even though I was four time zones from home, and who knows how many miles, I was still able to (sort of) surprise my mom and book her tickets to come visit me--all with the air miles I have accrued thus far.

It was a unique way to spend the holiday, though I don't think I would have traded it for being with my mom, brother, uncles, grandparents, and girlfriend, going to Pike Place, the movies, walking around Greenlake, getting coffee, baking cookies, eating guacamole, and all of the other traditions we have developed over time.

But some of the greatest things that you learn come as a result of being away from the things and people that you love the most. Like learning that maybe you should put away that Blackberry for a really long time...

I didn't get any snow in La Paz. So I found the second best thing in Bolivia--salt. I will explain more after I get back from the Salar.