One of the MSTs from California, who has been here for about a year, had a package of cookie and dessert ingredients sent to her. Tara kindly shared the experience of baking Christmas cookies with us, as well as some of the neighborhood children.
Jovan and Leticia, 15 and 12, came over in late afternoon from their house that is just a few steps up the hill outside of our compound. Tara set Leticia up to work on the fudge, stirring furiously as it simmered over the stove. Jovan mixed sugar cookie dough in a Tupperware container across the kitchen. I rigged up my laptop using an extension cord and converter to sit on top of the refrigerator and blast Christmas carols throughout the house.
Meanwhile, little Louis, the 4-year-old son of a sweet woman who cleans the house, was excitedly running about the kitchen, opening and slamming the door shut, rapidly chattering in Luganda with an occasional outburst of English. The last time I saw him; he was quite shy- a lot has changed! Louis lapped around the kitchen, scurrying from spoons drizzled in chocolate to bowls of icing; demanding his tongue sample it all.
An anxious line of flies waited outside of the open kitchen door, occasionally testing our tolerance for their presence. Leticia, Beth, and Jovan carefully used cookie cutters on the rolled dough, though Jovan was later inspired to create his own shapes. Tara continued to oversee all of the baking projects, using creativity to adapt the recipe to Uganda’s ingredients. The sweet scent of warm sugar cookie angels and snowmen, crushed g-nuts, and bubbling toffee swept through the air. Louis gained more energy with each taste and lick of our utensils along the way.
With small beads of sweat gathering around my brows from the Ugandan heat and an irregular pattern of goat and cow calls throughout the hour, I treasured the moment; realizing how unique this Christmas memory is among my collection of traditional snowy holiday celebrations!
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