It's an odd thing being away from home on Christmas. There are so cues signifying the approach of the big day that I didn't have here, and that made it hard for me to realize that it is indeed Christmas. Like...:
Mom and dad getting down decorations from the attic.
The guest room being overtaken by wrapping paper.
Working at the Pig with last-minute pottery orders and a frantic Allie.
Scurrying through Target and the Mall looking for gifts.
Going to the Christmas pageant.
The advent wreath and scriptures leading up to the 25th.
Seafood gumbo on Christmas eve...
But I guess some things about the holidays never change no matter where you are for Christmas, and that's nice. For example, Christmas lights! They may not be lining my house (er, flat) but they are all over the city, they are beautiful, and they just make me so darn happy. There's also Christmas music playing in all of the stores and on the radio, non-stop Christmas movies, the overwhelming need to buy chocolate and desserts... There's plenty to get you in the mood. Plus there are attractions like ice skating and Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, plus snow for crying out loud. Snow! Snow and mulled wine and minced pies and all sorts of little English cues that have helped me realize Yes, Stephanie, it's Christmas. .
This year it came and went like any other day though. Well, a few differences: none of us had to work, we ate much more cheese than can possibly be healthy, and nooothing was open. So it was like Christmas in that I spent the day relaxing, eating, and watching Christmas movies, but it was a little different being so far from my traditional surroundings... I wasn't sad persay, I don't think I've been here long enough to be properly depressed about missing Christmas at home. But it is definitely something I'll be happy to share with friends and family again once I'm back stateside.
I spent last night and today with the flatmates, minus Jess and plus a few. Loly's sister Pope (pronounced "Poppy," not like the head of the Catholic church) is in town from Chile, Jen N from Australia came over to our flat, and Benjamin and one of his friends joined us last night as well. It was kind of fun to explain our different Christmas traditions to each other. Loly and Pope made a drink for us last night that's white wine mixed with canned diced peaches - syrup and all. It was pretty sweet but delicious. I said that we usually have seafood gumbo on Christmas eve and found myself trying to explain "gumbo" - and after a story about finding a pearl in my oyster, then I had to explain an oyster!! Can you believe it? That was kind of hilarious. I was also the only person who had ever actually seen a version of the Nutcracker, let alone the real ballet. I never realized how much I loved that story until I was explaining it.
Since we spent so much time together last night and today there were plenty of other things about one another's cultures that we've been learning. For example, both Jens (from Canada and from Australia) were both raised without a religious affiliation - Jen N has never even been to a single church service. So I tried to explain the concept of the "Bible Belt" and I think she was kind of taken aback... creeped out, honestly. Like she didn't know these sorts of places exist. Veronica had a funny cultural bit - in Spain they eat a grape for every toll of the bell at midnight on New Years. She is very worried that she won't have any grapes if we're out on New Years Eve so I told her we'd pack some in our purses.
And recently I've been asked several questions along the lines of "Is it really like that in American high schools and universities - the ways it's portrayed on TV and in movies?" And I honestly don't know how to answer. I never considered myself to have had a normal high school experience what with it being a new school and so tiny. And when you think about all of the teen shows and movies and those ridiculous stereotypes - the jocks, the cheerleaders, the freaks, the geeks, the emo/goth kids... and in college - the parties, frats and sororities, football games... my initial reaction is like Of course it's not like that in real life! But then I start to think about it and, well, I don't know what it was like in high school in Australia or Chile or Spain... or Canada or England or even California for that matter. Maybe my high school and college experiences were kind of like that...? High school, at least, could have been a TV show. All those rich kids with no rules in a brand new school, that's a gold mine for hilarious plot lines, ha. And of course we had the cliques, the popular kids, the wannabes, the youth group kids... maybe it's all not so different from the movies after all.
Tonight we watched 10 Things I Hate About You - classic, came out when I was probably 10 or 12. In one of the opening scenes two kids are wondering around the quad and one is pointing out all of the groups to the other - the cliques are awesome. There's the typical jock/cheerleaders, but then apparently there's a cowboy clique, an edgy/coffee-sipping/hipster clique, white Rasta clique (really?), and the "future MBAs." So they go walking in a room and there's all these cowboys and I'm thinking, seriously, other countries think that we have cliques of cowboys running around because of movies like this?
So the point is - if there even is a point - I'm still trying to figure out what to tell these people. Here I am, a representative of the US, and very likely the only person from Arkansas that they will ever meet, and I'm supposed to confirm or negate what American life is like according to teen movies.
I'm not sure what any of that had to do with Christmas aside from the fact that I just got done watching 10 Things I Hate About You and explaining "prom" and "fraternities."
I got to video-skype with the family for the first time tonight and that was absolutely delightful :) :) Made my day! I finished the book The Help, which Mary Rogers sent me, last night and now I'm on to Scar Tissue, an autobiography by Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers. To be honest I don't know if I can stomach all 400-odd pages of this, I wish that someone else had written it... just cause you can write rad lyrics doesn't necessarily mean you should write your own memoir I guess? haha. But it was loaned to me as well and I've got nothing else so I think I'll go for it.
Tomorrow is "Boxing Day." I've had three or four explanations of this but I still don't know what it means, all I can figure is that it's become somewhat equal to Black Friday in America. These are different explanations I've heard:
1. Has to do with the homeless going door to door the day after Christmas asking for boxes and leftovers (depressing or what?)
2. Has to do with boxing kangaroos (the Australian told me that, go figure)
3. Has to do with the aftermath of Christmas and cleaning up, boxing everything away for next year (call me crazy but this definitely sounds the most legit)
4. And then there's my own pre-conceived notion that it has to do with actual boxing, Jermaine Taylor style.
I'm off to H&M and some other stores on High Street Kensington tomorrow to get some black ankle boots I've been eyeing (thanks Allie!) and see if there are any other bargains calling my name.
Larnie comes Monday and I couldn't be more excited! I feel just like a child looking forward to Christmas! Wait.. that just happened...
Tata now and hope everyone had a lovely holiday,
Steph xoxo
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