Christmas Travels amid National Crisis
Andrew and I celebrated Christmas with a combination of tradition on one hand and unexpected plot twists on the other.
Christmas Eve with Doña Mari's family in Sucre
We spent Christmas Eve in Sucre at the home of Doña Mari Rendon, the mother of Andrew's and my friend Mariela Cahow, who lives in Denver with her husband JC, a former Peace Corps volunteer. Mariela's brother Roberto, her sister Virginia, and Virgnia's husband and daughter also joined us. Doña Mari cooked the delicious traditional Christmas Eve dish called Picana, a chicken stew made with raisins, wine, vegetables, and spices. Normally, picana is eaten at midnight, in conjunction with the adoration of the baby Jesus at the start of Christmas day. We ate earlier, however, because we didn't think we could stay awake until midnight. After a wonderful dinner and a series of Christmas toasts, we went back to our friend Dominga's house, where we have been staying since our move to Sucre.
