Nollaig Shona Duit (Happy Christmas)

We wish all our friends and relatives a Happy Christmas, as they say here. We are grateful for our health, and the many new friends we have made here, and our friends back home, whom we will see again sometime in 2011.

We have had a wonderful experience here. We live in a tight knit community, where people look after themselves, and each other. There is kindness here to a degree that we have rarely seen elsewhere. When the frozen roads were impassible and many people were without water, due to snow and sub zero freezing conditions, unparalleled in recent history, everyone made sure their neighbors were okay. When the government ignored the snow/ice on the roads, the locals got their trailers, found some sand, and spread it on the roads themselves. Local stores ran out of staples like bread and milk, yet concerned storekeepers, instead of waiting for delayed deliveries, drove the treacherous roads afar, to get some supplies for the community. Our hardships are tolerable and are good lessons especially for our children.

We are dealing with some isolation, we miss some familiar food, and the basic conveniences that are taken for granted in the U.S. We spend hours together as a family unit, in the living room. This is healthy, yet challenging. We keep the rest of the house cold, as electricity and oil are precious commodities.

We are enjoying the snow. We are happy that the days are starting to get longer, here on the 53rd latitude. The moon, stars and Milky Way have been brilliant these crisp nights. This community, where nobody owns a sled, is looking forward to rain next week, signaling the end of this arctic spell, and the hardships the snow has brought. The pipes will thaw and the cars will return to the roads. As we write this today, our pipes are frozen, we have no water.

A few weeks ago, I polled a couple of dozen people " do you prefer cold and sunny or warm and rainy?" the vast majority desired the former. Now, they can't wait for the familiar winter rain that normally covers Ireland.

We will cross into 2011 in a few days. What adventures and experiences lay ahead? We head to Paris, and London, for a fun winter school break, in two of the world's greatest cities. The transition from rural Ireland to these vibrant cities will be a whole lotta fun!