Hello everybody!
First off Merry Christmas and a Happy New year! I hope you all here in the Faroes, and back home had enjoyed the holidays!
It has now been 5 months since I left the states, and it seems to me that the more I hate how fast everything is flying by the faster it seems to go. So I have now stopped worrying so much about how much time/days I have left in my new favorite country and just enjoy what I have/ am going to experience. recently I have just celebrated the holidays here in the Faroes, I loved every second of it just as much as I enjoy the Holidays back in Oregon.
Christmas back home would consists of the usual Christmas decorating and watching ABC family 25 days of Christmas Specials that the TV channel podcast every year. And once Christmas eve came around, we would all gather at my Grandmothers and enjoy a very delicious meal of more food then one person should actually eat, and then continue on eating even more when dessert came around! Then towards the end of the night we would all get to open one or more gifts from each other then all go home and get a good nights sleep and wait for Santa to bring the rest of the presents for Christmas day. Although I'm pretty sure that neither the children or parents get much sleep that night, for the young kids are all too excited to sleep or either trying to wait out Santa to catch a glimpse at him, while the Parents are trying to wait out their kids till they finally realize that they actually do have to go to sleep in order for "Santa Claus" to come, and the parents would then set up the Christmas presents under the tree. And then the magical Christmas morning when you get the surprise of seeing gifts under the tree, and crumbs left on the plate of Santa's cookies.
Well in the Faroes Christmas is celebrated for three days. The 24, 25, and the 26th. On the 24th I spent the day helping prepare for Christmas dinner and cleaning the house and also watching the sound of the music with my host sister till came time for dinner, at the house was my host mom, sister, and Grandparents from both sides of the family ( my Host dad was unfortunately not able to spend the holidays at home because he was away for work). For dinner we had salads, tons of potatoes and Duck ( which I had never had before) everything for Christmas dinner tasted great. Then after dinner and after doing dishes we got to open ALL of the presents that night, which is something that I not use to, but I was totally down with opening all my presents that night rather then having to wait till morning. I had gotten lovely gifts from my host family and and ten tons of american candy and snacks from home ( at my request for them of course). Then My host sister and I played some board games with the grandparents and then after a little while of that we finally had dessert which is called rís a la Mande which is kinda like rice pudding with cranberry sauce in it, But there was a little catch hidden in dessert. There was one peanut in one of the bowls and the person who gets the nut wins a an extra gift! And then the night came to an end around midnight when everyone went home and got some sleep. On the 25 we all slept in and had a lazy day and just relaxing. On the 26th we went to another village on the island for a family dinner, and then left to get ready for later that night. The 26th is known as the party night where all the young people go out all night enjoy the last day of the Christmas celebration!
Although Christmas was very enjoyable, I loved spending New years here! here in Torshavn everyone lights fireworks at midnight and the whole town is covered in the lights of different colors of fireworks, and everyone is cheering and kissing each other on the cheek, and saying cheers to the new year! It seems a bit insane that I had started 2014 in Oregon and now I'm spending the very beginning of 2015 in a whole new country. Around this time last year, I had just found that I had been accepted to Rotary and began deciding what country I would go to. My top three choices were Denmark, Switzerland, and Belgium, I had absolutely no idea that the Faroes had even existed or that it was even even an option to end up in. But I'm sure glad that I had ended up here, I couldn't imagine a better exchange year in any other country, I feel so lucky to have met all the people that I have here and have the friends that I have. Looking back to when I had deiced to go out and see another country for a year, I didn't have any expectations of what it would be like or where I would end up, I just knew that I wanted to go, and now, half way through my exchange I know that I never want to leave.
I wish you all a late Merry Christmas and a Happy new year, I hope you all had enjoyed yourself as much as I did.
And below are some pictures of Christmas, and some from winter break.
-Allie
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