All is calm, all is bright...

Hello from Kiew Sua. Of course there's high-speed internet. Why wouldn't there be? It amazes me that you can connect to the internet from a tiny village where no one even has a phone.

I arrived here early yesterday morning after a very long, very bumpy ride up the mountain. It was a red-letter day yesterday, with a parade organized to encourage people to vote and Christmas caroling in the evening. I spent quite a bit of time talking with Stacia, the woman who has been living and teaching here since July. She's from Woodinville, WA (small world!), and is an incredible person with some really big plans. I will write more about her (and her big plans) later.

We were each (Stacia, Rebecca, and I) touched by how welcomed we were as a part of all of the festivities yesterday, and by the generosity of all of these people with so little to give. We followed the children (and their other teachers) along the road to stop off at houses and sing carols. Kiew Sua is a largely Catholic community, something that is actually surprisingly common among the hill tribes, and due to their exposure over the years to missionary groups. At each house we were invited in to sing, say a prayer, and be stuffed with treats. The kids all had sacks to carry their loot in ala Halloween. Having no sack, I was a big hit with the kids as I kept passing off my share of the goodies. Stacia, Rebecca and I were asked to sing at several houses, so we did our best renditions of Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and Silent Night. It was a beautiful night, with millions of stars out... between the carols and the wild poinsettias growing on the side of the road, it was the first time so far I've really felt like Christmas was around the corner.