Christmastime at Home

These decorations are my mom's doing,
aren't they grand?

I apologize for the sporadic updates these days. As it's holiday season, I have been spending quite a bit of time with my family as well as working on other projects. I will restore my regular update schedule after the New Year.

Like Thanksgiving, this year marks my first Christmas with family since 2011. My actual Christmas day was pretty quiet with just me and my parents. We stayed in casual clothes, opened the couple of gifts we gave each other in the morning, then enjoyed Nigerian food for our main meal. Later that evening, my dad and I took a drive around our neighborhood, looked at the Christmas lights, and had a great discussion. 

I suppose our real Christmas was the day after. We had a few family friends over and ate a great meal—more Nigerian food! A great thing about being home right now is eating all the awesome food my mom makes although it threatens my waistline!

Thanksgiving 2015: The First at Home in Years!

Turkey, the grand centerpiece, ready to be attacked!

This week I got to enjoy my first Thanksgiving at home since 2011! I can't believe I spent three Thanksgivings and Christmases in a row away from home. I didn't think I'd be able to stand it as those are my two favorite holidays, but over the years I suppose built a Teflon will, was able to focus on school and work, and by 2014, I had completely forgotten what the holiday season felt like in the States.

While I was living in Taiwan, my dad visited me twice and brought me frozen turkey from Thanksgiving both times. Nonetheless, as delicious as it was, it couldn't compare to sitting around the dinner table and having discussions with family and friends. And, of course, being thankful for all that we have. I had some great times in Taiwan, and some extremely dark times, especially during the past year. I think it's fair that I was throughly tested there, and it was a period of my life that encouraged me to grow up and reevaluate what and who are important to me. 

Lunar New Year 2014

A common sign placed in
front of businesses closed
during the new year.

A few days ago (January 31st) marked the beginning of the new year - the year of the horse!  Last year was my first new year here, and as I explained, it was a bit of a shock to the system for a few reasons.  But this year, I'm used to the stores being closed and all the chaos associated with preparations for the festivities.  I planned well and ran my errands at the bank and post offices before the government offices closed, yet I had to make a couple of killer trips to the grocery store right before the holidays started which meant pushing through crowds and not being able to buy certain things that were sold out.  But now, Taipei is relatively quiet and I'm enjoying it!  It's nice to ride the bus or walk down the street without there being too much of a crowd in places that are usually jammed with traffic.

New years items on sale at Carrefour.

Welcome 2014

Some of the New Year's cards my students made.

新年快樂！

(That is, Happy New Year!)

I can't believe it's already 2014! Time certainly goes fast, I'm quickly heading toward my second year in Taiwan. These days my schedule is packed, so because I was exhausted I decided not to venture far from my apartment this year. Therefore, I didn't go any where near Taipei 101.  My prediction last year was right; I didn't want to brave the crowds again.  Nonetheless, I fun making new years cards with my students and enjoying myself close to home.

Jingle bells! Jingle bells!

聖誕節快樂！

(That is, Merry Christmas!)

The Christmas tree and snowman at the school where
I work.

Me at the end of Christmas.
I hate surgical masks, but I was coughing
and would have felt uncomfortable on
public transport without it.

I have not posted since Thanksgiving, so I think it's quite evident that I have been busy, busy, busy!  I'm so busy that I would periodically forget that Christmas was coming, but the lights and Christmas trees here are a constant reminder, although I didn't make an effort to see the big displays like I did last year (I think Taiwanese people enjoy Christmas as much as Americans!) But I enjoy being busy; after all, idle minds breed idle thoughts. In fact, my schedule is so full that I had to work on Christmas. But honestly, I wouldn't have had it any other way as I've grown to love my children.

Unfortunately for me, I had to go through my commute and work day with a cold and terrible sore throat, but it was worth it.

My (Accidentally) Chinese Fusion Thanksgiving Dinner

The veggies draining.
I have such a small kitchen now they had to be
relegated to the sink area for awhile.

Earlier this week, I didn't remember Thanksgiving was approaching until I talked to my parents and they reminded me.  It's such a stark contrast from my first year in Taiwan.  Last year, I felt down because I wasn't able t return home for the holidays.  But now, I've acclimated to life here, and I'm busy.  Holiday season has arrived and I didn't even notice!

After speaking to my parents, I thought to myself, "What should I do for Thanksgiving?"  Last year, I had dinner with a friend at a popular restaurant close to where I live.  This year, I thought of doing nothing, but then I decided to try to cook myself Thanksgiving dinner.

I buy a rotisserie chicken to eat over the course of 7-10 days every time I go to the grocery store, so I decided to save some of it for Thanksgiving in place of turkey.  I bought instant pumpkin soup as clam chowder imported from America costs more than I wanted to pay.  I decided I needed some veggies, so I bought a can of beets and a can of mixed veggies, rinsed the can water out, mixed the two, boiled them for a little while, then voila! - a vegetable side-dish.

However, there was one major component I wasn't sure I could pull off.  One thing I missed a lot last year and started to miss again this year when I realized Thanksgiving was around the corner was my mom's amazing stuffing!

2013 Lantern Festival

Aren't these lanterns cute?!

This year's Lantern Festival (上元節; shangyuanjie) was held back from the end of February to the beginning of March. The Lantern Festival signifies the official ending of Chinese New Year.  There seems to be several different stories regarding how the festival began, but I think the most important aspect of the festival is spending time with family and friends (people who bring the "light" to the new year).

In the beginning, the lanterns were simpler. Now, many of them stand several feet tall and come in all shapes and sizes from Disney characters to Angry Birds!  My friend and I took an evening to admire all the lovely lanterns around Yuanshan in Taipei.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Source

February 10th was the Lunar New Year Day and the official start of the year of the snake!  Lunar New Year is one of (if not) the biggest holiday here in Taiwan.  It certainly is a great departure from hearing about the holiday from friends who celebrate it when I'm back in the States as it's interesting to see a busy city like Taipei basically shut down. Most stores, restaurants, and banks are closed until around February 15th (some until even February 17th according to the signs!) and many students have gone back to their hometowns, if they aren't from Taipei, of course.  So, I've had to cook most of my meals lately. Thankfully, I enjoy cooking!

For auld lang syne...

新年快樂！

(That is, Happy New Year!)

It's 2013! Yay!

Wow, it's 2013! I can't believe it; time goes by fast.

Hoards of people taking shots of
Taipei 101. 

I spent my new year's at Taipei 101 to watch the lights and fireworks and be part of the general insanity. There were hoards of people there. Seriously, if you detest crowds or being close to people, this is not a new years destination for you. But it was great to be a part of the atmosphere. It was as if all of Taipei had come to one spot. Awesomely enough, I was able to see everything from a great spot.  Between a small live concert, many food stalls, and people-watching, there was a lot to do in order to pass the time before midnight.

Another crowd shot.
There's Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall on the left.

So this is Christmas...

聖誕節快樂！

(That is, Merry Christmas!)

This picture makes me
look short!

It is officially my first Christmas away from home in Taiwan, hundreds of miles away from my family. Tomorrow marks four months since I moved.

Christmas is my favorite holiday, and it's odd to be in a different country during this holiday season. Since Christmas is not an official holiday here, I've been doing school work non-stop, even in the early Christmas hours! I've got papers to write and academic journals to read until January. At first, I thought it was depressing, going to classes and doing school work during the holidays. But now, I see it as a transition. My life's changed, so I must get used to the changes! I'm someone who isn't exactly fond of extreme change, but after moving far away and having to acclimate myself to a myriad of new things, I'm learning to embrace it.

Maybe I'm trying to say that I've grown up.  Therefore, this is my first Christmas as an adult.