Christmas saved – again!

CALI: We at Underveis can look back on another great Christmas celebration. This time far, far from home. Two people from our region back in Norway came to the rescue, and we have had a great time together, eaten a lot of food and received numerous Christmas presents.

Last year we celebrated at the Norwegian Seamen`s church in London, and it was a real Norwegian style Christmas. Perhaps the most Norwegian Christmas we have ever celebrated. (See the article and photo essay here)

We both come from homes where Christmas is celebrated thoroughly, and crammed with family traditions. Hence, we have really bent our minds over how to celebrate this years Christmas properly. We have strolled around in the streets and watched inflatable Santas and illuminated snowmen stacked up along palm trees. A strange, but also familiar sight. From the street restaurants we have heard Christmas carols with familiar tunes, but in a completely incomprehensive language. None of us speak a lot of Spanish, although this is changing rapidly. We have hummed along to the tune, and felt the Christmas mood in our hearts.

Colombia is a country of contrast between rich and poor. They have oil, gas and precious stones, and could easily have been a country as rich as Norway. We are often reminded that Norway is perhaps the best country in the world to live in. Especially in December, this is very evident. Vagrants and dilapidated buildings make for a strong contrast to enormous shopping malls with gigantic American plastic Christmas trees. Crime, violence and large housing complexes where people have decorated their gardens with Santas, leprechauns, lights and snowmen between sky-high barb wire fences and walls. These are things that have given us a lot to ponder as we have wandered about in the beautiful old town in the port of Cartaghena.

In the city of Cali, on the Pacific side of Colombia, we met Karstein and Lillian Morfjord fra Lofoten. Lillian spent the best part of her childhood at Skomvaer lighthouse, as her father was a lighthouse keeper. They have started a congregation in the city, and are involved in a lot of social work among drug addicts and youth. The day before Christmas Eve, we attended Christmas service, and we sang a Norwegian Christmas carol for the around 30 people that attended. On Christmas Eve itself, Karstein and Lillian opened their beautiful home for us, and we had a delicious steak, opened Christmas gifts and called home to Norway to say Merry Christmas. It is no exaggeration to say that they saved our Christmas.

Also onboard the ship, we have celebrated. We have made a special Norwegian Christmas brew called glogg, presented to us by the chief steward onboard the Olympic Orion in Trinidad, and we have installed the Christmas tree we brought from Norway, with all the decorations. Even the star in the top is still not broken! We have played the Christmas carols that Anja gave us on CD at Nordfjordeid, and we have let the Christmas peace reign below decks for a few days. For us, this Christmas came to pass as a quiet time for contemplation, where we tried to find our way back to the original ideas of Christmas: Hope, optimism, compassion and consideration.

With these words in mind, we want to wish all our many readers around the world a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year!