Fiesta de las Naciones

Our family is currently attending the Chamblee (Spanish-speaking) branch/congregation while our church building is being renovated. Erik served his mission in Colombia and likes to take advantage of any and all opportunities to improve his language skills and enlarge his vocabulary, so we volunteered to serve in the branch for the next year or so. Erik is teaching a prospective Elders class, for those who are preparing to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. He enjoys it, and it's neat for me to see him interact with everyone. He seems to be friends with everyone there (he has served in the branch before, so many of them already knew him). I am touched each week by the love and appreciation they show for him.

I am going off my meager high-school and college Spanish experience, so I have plenty of room for improvement, to say the least! Fortunately, my one skill happens to be in high demand there, and it doesn't require speaking! I play the piano for Relief Society and occasionally in Sacrament meeting and Primary. It's nice to have that niche that allows me to feel like I'm contributing, but also makes the transition a more gentle and comfortable one. The people are warm and very welcoming. Abigail attracts a great deal of attention, as she is the only blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby there by a long shot. We have recently started taking her to nursery, which has been an interesting experience. She gets along pretty well as long as people (read nursery leader) give her her space! One of the nice things about the nursery, though, is that it provides her additional exposure to Spanish.

A few weeks ago the Chamblee branch put on their annual Fiesta de las Naciones. The members really go all out to prepare for this event, and it is quite impressive. The food this year was incredible, and I only got around to two of the tables that lined the whole room representing different countries. The decorations were beautiful, and the entertainment was definitely worth waiting for (but we did have to wait....which meant we had to leave well before the program ended to get Abigail to bed). They had a great turnout; the room was absolutely PACKED to capacity. Erik had invited a friend from Public Health school who came with his wife and younger brother. Fransisco, his classmate, is from Ecuador, and he really enjoyed the program (and really really enjoyed the food!). I tried to take some pictures, but they didn't turn out too well. I'll post some anyway.

Chowing down on a scrumptious tomale--I was surprised by how much Abigail ate that night. We already knew she had a thing for beans and rice, but she willingly tried several other dishes and seemed to enjoy them.

Not only does Abigail have a taste for spicy food, but she also dances like she's got some Latin blood in her! Whenever she hears music, she starts wagging her head and twisting her shoulders. It's pretty cute.

Just as a side note, Abigail's shirt says "Sassy Senorita." It was a gift from Erik's Aunt Gayle at Abigail's baby shower. She's starting to outgrow it, but I thought it apropos for the festivity!