Man did I miss home at this time! It was my first Christmas without my family and it was very hard. I missed them like crazy. At home we do the “Sister Exchange” for Christmas Eve. When my sisters and I were little, we always begged my parents to allow us to open a present for Christmas Eve. Eventually we started a tradition where we exchanges sister presents on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve was so sad without them!
Here it didn’t even feel like Christmas. It felt like they just picked a day to celebrate it. I was at the beach and it was HOT! It was so weird swimming in the ocean on Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is when the family gets together. During the day we BBQ and drink. We wait until midnight to say “Feliz Natal” and we have a huge dinner. That’s when people open presents too. Presents here aren’t such a big deal like at home. Mostly only young children get presents. Which is cool because here it is more about family. And eating.
I really missed Christmas with my family. Waking up early. Opening presents. Eating a big breakfast. Laying by the fireplace. Watching movies all day. Staying in my pajamas. Cuddling with my sisters. This was the hardest part about my trip.
New Year’s wasn’t much different, except here we were at the beach again. We waited until midnight to watch fireworks at the beach. It was fun.
It was great to experience a new culture during the holidays, but there is no place like home.
