I've frequently needed to remind myself that we are in Christmas time. It's all very different in Thailand. The fact that I am not going to be at 'home' (in England) is also a major reason seasonal festivities are at the back of my mind. I hear and read the antics of people at home at Xmas parties, and their plans for New Year, yet the good weather here (akin to the English summer), lack of Christmas marketing drive and (thankfully) my lack of English radio at work have left me in a relatively Christmas free zone.
You can find evidence of Christmas (Kissmass in Thai), like the elephants absurdly sporting Santa hats, but there is no public holiday and few exchange presents. In one class I teach just one kid out of forty had a tree at home. Instead Thailand celebrates the New Year, which is a little confusing as it has its own New Year which falls in April and is a major landmark.
Don't get me wrong, I do miss British Christmas and I wish I was visiting my family and friends with The Good Lady and The Little One as originally planned, but I have a job at a Thai school, flights are so expensive and I am yet to start on the bureaucratic joys to enable my son to hold a British passport.
It's not all bad here...
- Christmas shopping is done, posted and delivered
- weather set to be good (28-31 degrees over next 5 days)
- food here is good as ever
- there is a public holiday over New Year
- Xmas day falls on a Thursday, which is my day off
- family and few friends are set to visit here in 2009
What ever happens this year will beat last year when I spent most of Christmas week in bed with a fever. Ho ho ho.
No comments:
Post a Comment