Christmas
In December I really missed the carols, music, snow, decorations, food, family, and all-around Christmas cheer. That being said, I could not have asked for a better way to spend the Holiday outside of North America.Vanesa´s family really made me feel welcome.
On the train ride there, we both agreed that we needed to talk to her parents about our relationship as soon as the opportunity presented itself. After spening an hour or so making ensalada de fruta and chatting around the table, the moment came. I was nervous, but things went very well. Much the same as my parents, they implicitly trust the judgment of their children. Added to Vanesa´s explanation, they gave me the benefit of the doubt immediately. I did my best to explain that I was not going to spend time with Vanesa just for fun and then pick up and leave the country without notice. We also mentioned that we had already begun to discuss the ramifications of her living in the United States. They hugged me and said they had been praying for someone special for their daughter and would continue to pray for us. As we walked outside, Vanesa´s face was absolutely radiant! She announced to her sister and brother-in-law (who already knew) and her brother and his girlfriend, “I would like to present my boyfriend!” They clapped and we sat outside and chatted some more.
We sat down for dinner at 10:30 and ate a mountain of food! Potatoes, salad, chicken, steak, sausage, and a few other choices of meat. (I would later regret this very much, but it was fun at the time). At midnight we went outside to watch the neighborhood fireworks. Talk about a stark contrast! We sing “Silent Night” and think of tranquility, snow gently falling, and a fire in the hearth. Here it´s a party. Fireworks for half an hour or more and music all night. I kept looking in the sky in disbelief. It couldn´t have possibly been Christmas or December. I definitely won´t forget the experience.
Afterwards, we returned to the living area to open our gifts. I wanted to give Vanesa a couple pictures of us, but was unable to do so given the theft of my camera. So, I did the next best thing. I bought two picture frames and made two child-like, yet sentimental drawings for the frames. One was of a deformed, large man and a small, somewhat scary-looking woman holding hands under clouds and the sun. The other was a sketch of North and South America with an arrow from Minnesota to Argentina and our names in the respective locations. I also made a bilingual card explaining that we would take pictures for her frames in January after my much-anticipated camera arrived from the United States. She absolutely loved the gifts. Home Run!
Her parents gave me a key ring decoration and a Christmas mug. Vanesa gave me a framed
painting she had made of a woman with flowing hair. The thoughtfulness and personal nature of the gift really made it special. Not only was it from her, it was made by her. She also made a painting for her sister Romina and brother-in-law Martin that was the subject of much laughter for almost an hour. (It´s impossible to explain, but I´ll try if only for the sake of reading this later and laughing again). She painted a man and a woman in such a way that you could only see the face of the woman but the majority of the man´s body who was standing behind her. Let´s just say the theme wasn´t for children. We laughed hysterically and I took advantage of the rare opportunity to make a joke in Spanish. I said “¿Querés sobrinos?” (Do you want nephews and nieces?). Of course the thought never crossed Vanessa´s mind and she was really embarrassed as she laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes.
Christmas Day was really relaxed as we ate left-overs and napped. We returned to BA and her apartment about 7:30. We had been looking forward to calling the US the whole weekend. I first talked with Mom and Dad to give them the good news that I had a girlfriend. Afterwards, we called Paul and Leah. Vanessa chatted with Paul in Spanish for about 20 minutes as they exchanged questions and randomly poked fun at me. Paul told me he understood 60-70 percent of the conversation because of vocabulary differences and the general difficulty of speaking in another language over the phone. The next day Vanessa remarked that this conversation really made her feel at peace with our relationship. Not only did she have a chance to get to know a family member, she also realized that if she were to move to the US, she already had an instant friend (and family member) other than me who could understand her.
I had never pictured Christmas like this and never knew such a form of celebration existed. But apart from returning home, the Christmas of 2006 could not have been more perfect.
