The Beginnings of Festive Spirit

It seems I have passive smoked for 6 months now, not on purpose of course, but it seems the majority of Italians linger within a cloud of their own cigarette smoke. I've giggled and frowned at the women in their Gucci heels, too prude and proud to pick up their miniature dogs poo, that appears scattered all over the cobble streets. I've worked and reiterated more words than I feel I ever wrote at university and yet we’re not even half way through the year. I’ve sat through meals and awkward conversations not understanding a word that is spoken. And I’ve been blessed with finding love and being embraced into a whole new family.

I find myself looking forward to a week full of family and friends that speak my own language and know me without the awkward language barrier. Feeling so embraced in my new found foreign family is wonderful but when it comes to Christmas surrounded by a language I find exhausting to keep up with, I believe it would probably make me feel more homesick than I am every other day.

Homesickness is pushed aside at the moment, too busy to consider it and there are others on the course that have bigger problems and issues that I’d much rather care to and worry about. Yet I know when I stop for holidays, it will catch up with me. To be surrounded by family and loved ones in my life for a week will make all this hard work seem worthwhile. A little treat to myself and to Marco!

Introducing Marco to my Brother and Sister is what I’m really looking forward to, I can’t wait for him to see and understand more of my side of life. He’s probably a bit nervous but I’m sure after a few Christmas beverages and good British home cooking, he’ll forget that he was ever worried! It’ll be unfortunate that Mum and Dad can’t join us all for Christmas. However, they will be living the kiwi Christmas, with BBQ’s, beers and sunshine and hopefully surrounding themselves with jolly people to appreciate the festive spirit, or at least what there is of it in New Zealand! Christmas trees replaced by Pohutakawa’s and snow boots for jandles. A whole different version of Christmas! I hope one day in the future we’ll all have a Christmas together… but for now, appreciate this Christmas, wherever we are in the world.