Xmas at the Finka

The Christmas celebrations in our little corner of the world are in full swing. This past weekend, my friend Amela, the Medical Volunteer Coordinator and the Director of Finances at the Montanita Spanish School, went to a Christmas party of the year at Santa Maria del Fiat, the Finka for short.

First a little background. The Finka is a Catholic clinic and Church that is run by nuns who live on site. Hermana Ruth, the head nun and Medical Coordinator, is a small Ecuadorean woman with a big smile and an even bigger heart. The clinic, like most out here on the coast, is very basic, but they do wonders for the community with the limited resources they have. They have been running a kid's program for years, in order to improve the preventative care for children. Once a month children from newborns up to 5 years old come to the clinic for a free check up and medication. Every year, people from all over the world, including our school, go spend 4 weeks to up to a year volunteering at the Finka as nurses, doctors, medical students and specialist, pharmacists, or in their records department.

So back to the party. How does a small Catholic clinic do Xmas in coastal Ecuador? Well, it starts with a Mass. This was only Amela's second Catholic mass, so by keeping an eye on what her neighbors were up to, she was able to kneel, stand and sit at the right moments, though she started regretting her decision to sit right up in the front! Every little girl was in a frilly princess dress, and the little boys were in dress shirts and ties. One of the nuns in front pulled out a guitar started playing, and the small church was so full that when everybody started singing the sound was amazing.

After the Mass, there were cookies, and snacks. Amela brought candies and balloons for the kids from MSS, and the show began. There was a nativity presentation, and then a singing/karaoke game with the mothers. A group of señoras got up, sang along to a song, and then when the speakers cut out they have to continue singing and try to remember work it goes. As hilarious as all this was, it was made even funnier by the fact that the whole time, Mary and Joseph from nativity scene, were still hanging out behind them in full costume. They stayed there through a group of mothers doing a traditional dance, and through a children's show. The little girls and boys all strutted up and down the stage with their fancy outfits on, and Amela was made the judge to pick the best dressed boy and girl to be the King and Queen.

After all the shows were performed, snacks were eaten, and presents were exchanged, the first Xmas party of the year came to a close. This is my first Christmas here in Ecuador, and with all the parties at Montanita Spanish School, and with our volunteer partners like the Finka, it has been quite the fiesta. More Christmas fun to come, stay tuned!