Noël

Facing Christmas in your host country brings a lot of mixed emotions. Especially when you come from one of the most commercialized countries ever to a small town half way across the world. As much as you thank God you don't here Christmas music everywhere, you miss that Christmas spirit you've grown up knowing. Here the holidays are fairly quite, sure some decorations and a small Christmas tree but you just lack that certain Christmas feeling, there seems to be no hype at all. I've found myself longing for a live Christmas tree and some of Grammys Christmas cookies. It's not that it's worse here at all, the U.S. Takes Christmas way overboard but when you grow up with that and it's all you know a change to a bit more simplicity can be rough. Now to address the obvious elephant in the room. You miss your family like crazy, what should be the happiest time of the year turn into a whirlpool of emotions that leave you crying one minute and laughing the next. Though you're glad you can't go home for Christmas because it would be to hard to have to leave again.