All I want for Christmas is ... TURKEY

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Christmas to most westerners is one of the most important holidays of the year whether for religious reasons or not. It is a time for family and for showing others that you care. For most Tay (westerner) in Vietnam it is a time where people would miss home, and miss their family and friends. Thankfully over here we have formed our own version of family to take care of one another and lift each other's spirits. Although im sure some feelings of homesickness were felt, it turned out to be a wonderful christmas.

Christmas in Hai Phong started off with a problem. The Office were trying to force us to teach on Christmas day although we had previously been promised it off. This was quickly resolved by telling the staff that if we were scheduled for class on Xmas day, we would all be magically sick and unavailable. The shocked look on the managers face was definatly my first christmas present as I continued by saying that "as foreigners we try to be culturally sensitive to their beliefs and holidays, and that we expect the same curtesy". Nothing would change our minds - teaching on Christmas Day was a HELL NO!

During the day on Christmas Eve I was asked by one of my schools to act as their Santa. I agreed not knowing that it meant having to give a present to EVERY student in the school. So as Santa, with brown hair sticking out of the wig, I handed out presents as fast as I could as there were at least 40 kids per class and at least a dozen classes. Apart from the occassional Ho Ho Ho I kept my mouth shut as the beard kept going into my mouth. At the end it was the teacher more than the students queuing up to take a photo with Santa.

Christmas Eve was spent with friends, having a few drinks and generally enjoying each others company, everyone wishing one another well.

Christmas Day was as perfect as it could be far from home. I helped Nadine prepare everything the previous evening but it still took hours to make everything ready for an amazing Christmas dinner.

Our starter was a homemade lentil and carrot soup, which tasted delicious and was just what was needed to wet our appetite.

After the starter we took a break to open the presents we had placed under the tree. We had placed a price limit for each person, and buying presents were difficult as there is nothing here really that we would want or need. I was delighted by my gifts, especially from my boyfriend who had broken the price limit (I did too) and bought me a few things, including a beautiful chain that he had noticed me looking at.

For our main meal we even had a turkey which we found in Metro when we had resigned ourselves to the fact that we would just have chicken. It was filled with home made stuffing and cooked to perfection. With it we had carrots, parsnips, brocolli, peas, cauliflower, creamy mashed potato, roast potatoes and delicious gravy. Mmmm the taste of home!

For those that could eat dessert there was ice cream, or home made toblerone cheesecake.

While all of us battled our food comas, we settled down to watch christmas moves, before heading out to meet other in the bar that evening.



Although I was far from my family I still had them with me, I recieved a wonderful photo of my relatives with a banner wishing me a merry christmas, and my best christmas present at all came from my big sister with her amazing news on Christmas morning on skype.

It really was a merry christmas.

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