Christmas at Joy’s House
Jan 1st, 2012 by jenna
Out of all my Christmases, this year’s Christmas was one of the best. Staying at Joy’s House was the best part of Chiang Mai. When we first got to her house, my first instinct was: how will things work out if I don’t know anyone here? But my instincts proved wrong. Joy introduced me to her thirteen year old daughter Leonie. From that moment on, things were super fun. That day, we headed for the local market so we could get the stuff to make dinner that night. I met a wonderful, sweet Singapore family while cooking dinner. The feast was amazing. On Christmas Eve day, the children from the farm came to perform a special dance and song.
Most of the kids don’t have parents to take care of them, but they get lots of love at Joy’s House. I was glad I could make good friends with some of them. At night, there was a huge banquet of delicious food. Leonie’s cousin Umseen tagged along and we ate dinner together.
After that everybody gathered together to watch families and volunteers perform exciting dancing and spectacular singing. Leonie did a beautiful dance in a gorgeous dress, waving her fans in an artistic way. Then the music DJ pumped up the music and everyone was invited to dance the night away. I was hesitant to dance, until Leonie pulled me into the crowd and soon enough I was having a ball.
I was pretty sure the neighbors had trouble sleeping that night. Even my ears went deaf for awhile. All my friends and family helped to light the sky with lanterns. There were tons of them. Savoring the moment the lanterns were lit shinning a bright light that reflected back in our faces. Everyone was cheering and clapping as each lantern was lifted into starry night sky.
As the lanterns danced and floated swiftly above us, I imagined a moment when everything seemed perfectly right. Looking around me, I could tell that everyone there was just as stunned as I was. My two best friends there, Elisha and Leonie were enjoying the moment like me. I could tell because their faces had cheerfulness written all over.
I closed my eyes, hearing the faint high spirits all around me, muffled voices and the feel of comfort surrounded everywhere. I let every morsel of happiness seep into my soul and out through my face. It was only that moment, which I can still vividly remember.
Sitting at a table and dealing out seven cards to each player for a game of UNO was another simple memory I’ll keep. Leonie, Elisha, Umseen, one of the children and I were usually the ones to be seen playing UNO. We were everywhere with the cards. We played at a table, in my room, at dinner and near the pool. There were a lot of strong friends I made on this trip. Everyone was so welcoming and generous. Leonie and Elisha and I would spend hours together dancing and laughing about nothing in particular. We snuck into the yoga room and clicked on my iPod Shuffle letting music blare through the speakers. Leonie and I spent three nights together sleeping in the same room. We watched movies and played around on the computer sending video messages to Elisha when he left.
These will be nights and days to remember. A relationship that stays strong doesn’t always get handed to you so easily; but when it does, you’ve got take it and keep it. Lock it up and save it.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! Your blog is so well written, Jenna, we feel like we were there with you. Keep up the great memories. Enjoy!! Love you all! Granny and Grandpa
So beautiful! It sounds like a Christmas that you will always remember. I especially liked the part about every morsel of happiness seeping through your soul… I felt that happiness all the way back in the States! So happy for you guys.
Jenna,
Congratulations on integrating into the culture and making such close friends. Your happiness shines through in your blog post. Thank you for sharing. It is a wonderful gift you’ve passed on to all of us. What a wonderful way to start the new year.
Say hi to your mom and dad for me.
Peggy