Job Discussion Forums

[Jetgirly]

What do you ESL teachers do if you're stuck in a foreign country for Christmas and can't get home to see your family? How do you spend the holidays?

[ls650]

Last year I went snorkelling for a week on a small tropical island. It was interesting but I think this Christmas I'll go visit the family in my 'home' country.

[Boy Wonder]

Buy a load of Intl phone cards....Thats what!
Then try to capture as much of the Yuletide festive celebration as possible...wherever it's at!

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

I've had to do that for two years now.

It sucked! (and it will this year too )

If you can't go to a new area for a vacation, or home or whatever, probably the best thing to do if there aren't others in the same situation in your area (and maybe even if there area) is to go out and rent a bunch of NON-CHRISTMAS videos (comedies are the best) and just don't think about it, too much.

There're ups and downs with any working situation, and a major down with working overseas is that you often cannot get home for holidays.

[JosephP]

I'm one of those grinches that intensely dislike Christmas. Yet I've learned to keep my trap shut and let those who enjoy Christmas carry on without my whinging and sneering. The best thing to do is to paste a grin on my mug and keep repeating "That's nice" over and over until the nightmare is finished.

However, New Year's is tops in my book.

[Glenski]

Haven't been "home" for Christmas in 7 years. Doesn't really affect me. (I wrote "home" in quotation marks because where I live is my home.)

Stock up on rental movies.
Read books.
Plan lessons in advance of the next year.
Learn the language of the country you are in.
Sightsee.
Invite locals (not fellow foreigners) over for parties.
Go out with locals.
Get lost on the Internet.
Use the Internet to phone home for free (and use video if you use a web cam).

[foster]

My first solo Xmas in Japan I worked at Nova, dressed as an elf and played it all up. Yup...good times.

Last year, I went to Thailand, booked a tour with elephant ride and snorkelling, fell and broke my wrist. I do NOT recommend spending 6 hours on Xmas day in a Thai hospital.

This year, am off to see the s/o in Australia...not the family. I can make my own Xmas cheer there.

I am not a big Xmas person, but if I call my mum on Xmas day and a few friends, I am usually ok.

[Aramas]

[Ludwig]

Well, obviously, it will depend to a great � perhaps, defining - extent on the particular state in which you reside and work. If you are in the KSA, for example, then you pretend it does not exist as the practice of any religion other than Islam is punishable by death (by stoning or beheading). For many people in many regions of the world it is simply another day at work. Obviously here in HK we get two or three weeks off work for Xmas and New Year holidays, but that is still as of yet unheard of on the (atheist expect for Buddhism) Mainland.

I think you may over-estimate the percentage of the world that actually recognises Crimble.

[4nic8r]

This will be Christmas number 8 of not being home.. really, don't miss it anymore.... except for all the good food!

A few years ago, a friend of mine decided to go buy a turkey and invited a bunch of people to his house.. it has become our yearly tradition, after a few years of eating Burger King for Christmas dinner

Going home for the first time in 5 years this winter though.. don't really know what to expect this time..

[Will.]

Another grinch,
When abroad, or at home, this is period of time at the end of the year that others celebrate. this is Ok for them. I travel, have a break, or take time to catch up with myself and my plans (The ones I never achieved this year). I certainly do not fall for the "go out and spend money on stuff for people who don't need it, want it, or even value it but enjoy the gift and promptly forget about it". Gift giving has more importance when you give a gift because you want to please the person with something you found for them and thought "X will just love that" The spontaneity is a much better indicator than the semi enforced Christmas list of pressies for all and sundry.
Free yourselves from Christmas. Save ommense amounts of time by binning present lists and shopping. Forget it, take a break and enjoy yourself. Liberate yourselves from this claptrap. Have some time for yourself.
Ask for your money back, Christmas is just another ripoff in the world of commercialism, unless you are a Christian and have to believe it.

[dmb]

another grinch. however, friends and I do get together. we use Christmas as an excuse to overeat and drink far too much. Christmas without all the BS.
why are we talking about it now. it's only September. Has the christmas run in began all ready? Thank god I'm not back in the UK

[Sekhmet]

Ludwig - where did you get that idea from? Islam is one of the most tolerant religions there is. Ok, so a Moslem can't marry a non-Moslem, unless that person is either Christian or Jewish. And why's that? Because they all have their roots in the same Book!!! The Quran, Torah and Old Testament follow pretty much the same idea. Only differences are the way each religion defines the prophets.
I live in an Islamic country, where Coptic Christianity is fairly widespread. (Me, I'm an agnostic, but that's neither here nor there.) The Christians celebrate Christmas, granted on a different day to the West, but it is still celebrated. In Alexandria, there is even an Anglican church, in case I start to miss it...
I can't say for certain if this is a similar situation to other Islamic nations, but it seems somewhat bizarre that the inhabitants of KSA don't follow the Quran...
As for the holiday season here, I'm going home!!! Tacky and cheesy as it is, it does make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...!!!

[kev7161]

Last year, all the foreign teachers participated in a Secret Santa thing and also had a potluck dinner. Our school gave us Christmas Eve and Christmas off. The kids decorated the trees on our school grounds (each class got a tree to decorate) and I received a ton of Christmas cards from my students. I was asked what I wanted for Christmas from my department and I asked for a calculator. Then, I worked out a plane ticket arrangement with my school to go home in January for a month-long visit (fully paid salary as well). So, it was a very nice holiday for me. As much as I complain about my school, they really do some nice, caring things for me and the other FTs.

This year I don't plan on going home, but would like to visit another country if it seems affordable.

[Stephen Jones]