This is a video of the Christmas Eve dinner we had with my family. The big nativity scene behind the table is set up because at midnight we place baby jesus in the manger. I got the honor of placing jesus inside it this year!! I have a video of that too I hope to put up.

It's that time of year... christmas time is here

campanas with ribbon...my idea and the raw materials cost less but look nicer so we sell it for more and they sold out at the fair!!

one of the purses with the wooden asas(handles) ...only 20 soles ruffly 6 dollars!!

this is made with the tela that we got from Cajamarca and the wooden asas...40 soles...roughly 13 dollars!

oh the ways you can entertain yourself at a fair you are at for 10 hours a day!!! Haha this was among the various games of "throw the straw ball inside the sombrero - 1 point" game and the "how many straw balls can you juggle at once" game... yeh it was like that

another pic of the fair signs outside jockey plaza

signs out for the fair

Another shot of the fair stand

Another shot... i did the whole set up with cardboard boxes and table clothes

Picture from the side of our stand at the Fair

our new kitten named Elicita... basically its a little me because of its hair and light eyes!! She's so little!!

FELIZ NAVIDAD

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
Love the Valladolid-Ascarate Family

another foto op!

Fri 5 de Dic

pics with Maria Martha and me ... on our 2nd exportation of the month to a store in Jackson Heights... they were soo excited.


Martha signing the exportation document in Exportafacil in Serpost!!!

2 de diciembre 2008

So I havent written in a while, I'm sorry... I've been really busy with reconnect.REconnect is a three month reunion after our initial 3months at site. I spent the week talking about my site and hearing about other people's sites. It was a good time Imissed everyone a lot, but it was also good to hear everyone else's perception of site, because Irealized how lucky I am and how happy I am. Thank you pop and uhoh (for putting in the good word). My site no matter how much I think I deal with is nothing compared to others. Also I am happy for all i deal with and the activities I am busy with, because as I foudn out a lot of other people aren't as busy as I am. I'm heading to Lima for another fair dec 19-21 which is good to keep my mind off the holiday... which will be esp hard this year w.o. my fam. But I think it will be good for me to learn another cultures non-materialistic perception of Christmas. But who am I kiddin, I still miss my shit load of presents!!!!! lol !!!! and not to mention the cold... it has started the season where you are sweating beyond belief... I have (what karrie calls) swamp ass. It's like walking around with a wet butt... i knowthat sounds graphic but it is!! lol okay the reason I am in the city is becauseI have the AIDS conference tomorrow since PEPFAR is starting their campaign in Peru and one of the departments that the epidemic is highest is Piura where I live. So tomorrow starts the PEPFAR conferences and I will be participating with my alcalde and the districto alcalde. Then I have to head back to my site because I have the session de tutoria at 4 but before that there is a man with my artisans that is teaching alternative dying techniques for our products... which im really excited about... so we will see. I'm glad to have gone to reconnect and here other peoples experiences because I have come to realize howlucky i am to have my site and be as happy as I am. Okay well I will write later...
Chau
Elizabeth