Monday 24 March 2014

Feliz Navidad

So the first Christmas in my entire life away from my family & friends!! Oh god it did not feel like Christmas at all.. Palm trees, Sun and beaches... Ehhh??

Hogar Sol
Putting up Christmas trees and decorating Hogar Sol with fake snowman and reindeers was strange but drawing pictures for the kids to colour in of snow and stockings while I was sat in 30c heat was pure head blagging! Especially when kids asked me what was snow like? The atmosphere leading up to Christmas was really nice for the children going to the cinemas, parties and MacDonald's and the amount of families and schools that actually bring gifts and sweets for the children is so kind and thoughtful! On the 24th though was just like a normal day to the kids which was a little sad but being in the house everyday suppose its their routine. Trust me if I wasn't in a host family they would all of been coming with me home!!

My Host Family
My Costa Rican family was amazing because they involved us (Me & Salome) in everything from making the traditional food, Tamales, which to me looked like packages of drugs, to going on family trips were my host mum had grown up. It was nice as of course been a Latin family there was 100s of them which makes a big difference to home. Here they actually celebrate Christmas on the 24th December and then 25th is kind of like our boxing day so it was so strange for me to get my head round that 25th wasn't really a big deal here. It was nice though because I had time to Skype with all my friends and family at home and then stream Elf.. A must on Christmas day! It was very emotional that day, no pig in blankets and the fact that I was so far away from home it was upsetting but having such an amazing family here that feeling was short-lived. The fact that I didn't touch a drop of alcohol this year must of been a first for me because normally by 11 I've cracked open the Champers it was nice to wake up without a hangover.

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