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All in the Christmas spirit: Villancicos and Lost Kittens

11/29/2012

2 Comments

 
Christmas starts early here. I mean REALLY early. Keep in mind that Halloween and Thanksgiving are not celebrated in the D.R., so aside from a a few Saint´s days, there really are no major holidays between August and the end of December. Which means....Dominicans go through a sort of holiday withdrawal...and to make up for it....they start preparing for Christmas mid October. No joke, that´s when they start breaking out the Christmas lights and ponche (a traditional creamy rum drink, kind of like egg nog). 

I, on the other hand, have found it a bit difficult to find my Christmas spirit in this 85 degree weather. 
So, in an attempt to make myself a little merrier, I decided to attend PUCMM´s free Christmas concert. Nothing like a few Spanish Christmas carols, known as "villancicos," to put me in the Christmas mood!
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Entrance to PUCMM (my university) all lit up for the holidays.
This carol is about a little Christmas tree
This is a very traditional and popular Christmas carol called "Los Peces en el Río" 
I really love this song but the lyrics just plain baffle me, Here´s the main verse:
Pero mira como beben 
los peces en el río
Pero mira como beben
por ver a Dios nacido
Beben y beben 
y vuelven a beber,
Los peces en el río 
por ver a Dios nacer.


Which roughly translates too:
Look how the fish in the river drink
Look how they drink upon seeing God born

They drink and they drink
and the return to drink again
The fish in the river upon seeing the birth of God.

Hmmm? Say what? 
Maybe there´s a Spanish speaker out there that can give me some background info on this song?
You all should know this one! 
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Plus the show came complete with a live nativity scene and free hot apple cider. Ok so it was still about 80 degrees outside when I was drinking the hot cider, but what the heck, that´s pretty much sweater weather here.
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Alexis and I left feeling decidedly cheery. So when I passed by a tiny little kitten lost and mewing on the side of a dangerously busy street, there was no way I could just leave her there. 
I couldn´t! 
That would be decidedly not in the spirit of Christmas. 
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So without further ado, please welcome our newest addition....Noel! 
Ok ok, so I might be a bit of a bleeding heart, but come on, just look at her!
 Could you have left her? Could you?!
I think not. 
And if your answer was yes...well then...just know that Santa is watching and you are getting a lump of coal for Christmas to match your black heart :-p
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Poor little thing was starving.
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Luckily, Lynne, who I live with, is just as much a sucker for little lost animals as I am and was completely understanding about adding a new member to the household (at least until we can find her a loving home). 
So who needs a kitten? 
2 Comments
Dad
11/29/2012 09:12:15 pm

We have no cats on the farm for first time in years. If you could arrange for Noel to get here I will gladly take her. Some D.R. genetics might add some hybrid vigor to strain of cats here in ILL.

Reply
Molly
11/29/2012 09:23:13 pm

I´m actually told its very easy to take her home. I just need to get a certificate of health from a vet. So be careful what you ask for....

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    Hola! My name is Molly and I was recently hired through the travel abroad company CIEE as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher for the PUCMM, a university located in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Hopefully this blog will give future travelers an insight into teaching abroad, while also helping me log my adventures and stay in touch with friends back home. 

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