This was my first Xmas in Australia and I honetly did not know what to expect; even if Lizzie had tried to explain it to me. I probably had problems understanding it as Xmas, or Yule, is so deep root in my own culture it might make it difficult for me to understand something that can be extremely different.
As I am used to celebrating Xmas on the 24th I found it difficult to grasp that here the 24th is just a normal day. Lizzie told me so, making me scratch my head and almost looking at her in disbelief; but when we arrived at her parents I realised that the 24th was actually just a regular boring day.
This might be an individual thing, but I also noticed that typical Xmas(Yule) snacks and food were missing. The closes thing to a Yule snack was my rice chocolate (rischoklad).
As they do not celebrate Xmas on the 24th, they do so on the 25th; which is a bit odd to me.
We woke up on the 25th, unpacked our presents like a wild pack of dingoes. It was more or less everyone for themselves; grabbing the gifts with your name on it and tearing off the wrapping as quick as possible.
That was followed by, to me, a pretty normal breakfast. After that you did nothing, other than maybe play around with your gifts and just be more lazy than your were on the 24th. Later in the evening you have some kind of dinner; anything goes, so nothing I know from my own Yuletide celebration.
That is more or less Xmas in Australia; or at least how I experienced it.
It was nice spending time with the family and the gifts I got were awesome, but the Yule feeling was not there at all. It was not just the lack off snow, because I have not experienced so many snowy winters the last years; but more the lack of Yule spirit and tradition.
It gladly made me appreciate my own Yule tradition even more.
Hopefully we will be back in Scandinavia next Yule.
The last days with Lizzie had been great. We have been relaxing and relaxed; just doing what we want and not having to worry about anything.
Tonight I do feel that those days might be coming to an end. I need to contact people in Sweden as I am planning to study by distance, from Australia in Sweden. Hopefully this works out better than the study here in Australia. I also need to go back to looking for work; but lucky me, I have no clue what kind of work. Can I work full-time, part-time or just casual?
Only thing I know for sure is that 2010 will start off pretty rough and with great uncertainty.
Note: This is a really crappy post, but I am posting it just as evidence that I am still alive. I am only pleased with the name; which I am not sure it deserves.
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