Yes, We Know It's Christmastime in Africa.

It's 7am on December 25th and I've just woken up to find my family having tea and laughing at  my brother who is still sleeping off last night's adventure. We're trading stories and joking about the way they all protected me from the men at the bar.

It's 2pm and I'm in the car with my siblings driving down a 30k dirty road for over an hour on the way to see mom. Trucks packed with people keep flying past our little car as we occasionally stop to grab a different fruit or berry for me to try from the Bush. My sister asks what we do in America on Christmas. I tell her we get together with family and eat a lot.

It's 6pm on December 25th and we're all sitting around the fire at masemo  (the farm lands) listening to the rain and eating porridge. My host mom occasionally looks at me smiling and then chuckles something in Setswana. I know she's worried I'm not warm enough, she's worried I'm not learning enough Setswana, she's clearly worried I'm not eating enough. I smile back. Life is good.

It's 8pm and I am wrapped in blankets, reclining in the front seat of my sisters car, listening to the rain fall. I had hoped to spend a night in a traditional but, but due to the rain, a leaky roof, and a moderate Christmas gathering, I offered to join my sister in the car. My heart is bursting with joy at my fortune.

It's 10am on December 26th and my sister, nieces, and I are picking morogo (a type of spinach) from the ground next to the goat corral. We're talking about men and family and work as I laugh about the donkeys mating nearby and the kids play.

It's noon on December 26th and I've just been fed for the third time today. My mom is making sure I'm eating as much as possible and that I'm trying all of the traditional foods from the land. My tea is mostly milk and sugar and my finger nails are caked with dirt. The kids are worn out from our morning dance party with the car stereo and my brother is hard at work cutting down trees for the fence. A neighbor comes to visit and my mom shows her the beautiful necklace my mom in America sent for her. She is glowing as she says "from mami to mami."

Seems like Christmas to me.