Christmas in Aahfricah

Hello all
This is probably my last email from tropical climes as we have but a week left here. Seems very strange that almost a year has gone by and so much has happened, yet it seems very brief when one looks back on it all.
Christmas in the tropics was lovely after all, despite my grinching beforehand. The chitenje Christmas stockings filled with little wooden leopards and lions and tigers and some local flipflops and beetle shaped pretzels (of all things to find in the local shop!) went down a treat. As did the wooden guns (red), speedi boati and fighting chaps (now painted by Ben and looking like artifacts not toys). So the kids were happy. We made little gift packs for the local children too (in Gatineau gift bags left over from the haul I found under the stairs earlier this year. Still working my way through all the 2ml samples.). On Christmas day, the tradition here is to dress the children up in their smartest clothes (sadly usually nasty cheap scratchy nylon ensembles straight from China), arm them with a Fanta and send them out to roam the village in search of fun and sweeties. So I dressed my two up as well and after lunch we set off on a village stroll. It was nice to be out and about - gave a nice sense of festive occasion. We ended up at Gecko for pizzas and a local band, and Ben and Eddie attached themselves to a pole each and spun around and around for ages to the music. Then we loaded them onto Bush's bicycle and he pushed them home - through all the puddles at their request.
Since then the music has gone on all night, every night, until the 3rd January when the party season seems to officially be over. Thank heavens, as the muted roar of revelers and the clashing strains of seven different types of music catering to every type of tourist and local party animal was beginning to strain my earplugs and nerves! We went with Liinu to Domwe for a very quiet new year - all asleep by 10:30 after a huge meal of fillet and potatoes in creamy coconut sauce - phew.
My friend Bronwen has been here for a week and it has been so lovely to have her here - made me realise how much I have missed friends who know that my brand of nasty humour isn't necessarily a reflection of a twisted psyche and that my teetotalling nature is not necessarily a strange and unusual thing worthy of remark.
I am pulled in two about leaving. There is so much I would still like to do and get looking fabulous here, and yet I still feel my real life is in Kommetjie and I have to take it up again (and maybe do it a bit better after this time away.)
Ash and Mabvuto have just come to see me to tell me that they want to drum for us at our farewell party on Saturday. They are the gardeners and general keepers-clean of base camp and are a wonderful pair. Ash has a gravelly voice and his most used phrase is "No problem!' and Mabvuto, who looks like a gnome and whose name means trouble and who used to be just that in his youth apparently, is a flower arranger of note. They told me that I was a good woman and had been no trouble all year and had done a lot for them. I got all tearful.
I will probably be completely useless at the farewell. we are having goat stew and rice and beer....
And now that's all over and we leave tomorrow. Will be back in Kommetjie on the eve on the 13th.
I think I will weep copious tears tomorrow as this place has become a part of me now and is so remarkably full of good people. If you have never visited Malawi, do.