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The build up to Christmas is nowhere as big as in the UK, but that may have had something to do with working in food retail and it being the busiest and most important but knackering time of the year. Here, there was the odd santa claus in a shopping centre looking very out of place but not a huge amount else although from Diwali onwards the outside of shopping centres were adorned with lots of festive and quite attractive lights. Most Kenyans seem to take quite a bit of leave at this time of year and traditionally would go home to the family 'up country'. One of the ladies at work explained that you would typically go and visit your husbands family over Christmas and then to your family at New Year. A time for families and eating and drinking and exchanging gifts - typically some new clothes to be worn on Christmas day so some simalarities without any mad panics about food and presents.
Our last day at work, it was also the bosses birthday so he bought sushi for lunch (yes we have sushi in Kenya) and some bubbly - but we all worked until 5pm like a normal day , not that there were many of us there, many had been on leave for the last week already, and our office shuts until the 2nd - so a long forced break.
Coming back to Kenya with just two weeks to Christmas and the office closed for over a week, I did wonder whether I should have stayed in UK to enjoy Christmas with the family. But no here I am in Kenya. I have been away from home for quite a few Christmases including last year when I was in 5 star luxury in Mauritius with my good friend Kath, but I have also spent Christmases past in New Zealand and Thailand. So a good change to be away every now and again - but mum and dad's home is so perfect for Christmas and it's always lovely to see the all the family together - but hey that's what skype is for isn't it?
This Christmas however was a first. I woke up on Christmas morning on my own and spent the rest of the morning on my own. It felt a bit strange but I actually quite enjoyed it as ever I had a bit of a plan. The great thing was the festivities had begun a few nights earlier. I arranged a Love Actually film night and cooked a big veggie chilli - 7 friends came and it felt really Christmassy with all the girls having seen the film before so as you can imagine to the frustration of the boys there were quite a few 'this is the best bit', 'I love this bit.' So we all got our fix of Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Andrew Lincoln (my favorite) or Liam Neeson (a close second) not to mention the rest of the wonderful very British cast and a few reminiscent shots of London. Since I had had to pack up my London flat just a few weeks earlier, when I came across my xmas decorations box, I pulled out a few small, light pieces to stuff into my suitcase, including my mini lighted xmas tree so the place actually also looked pretty festive.
On Christmas Eve, after a long exercise session in the morning (I am getting a bit obsessive about my exercise DVDs not that I am sure they are doing much) in preparation for the over indulgence, I walked to the shops for some last minute purchases (busy but nowhere near like it is in the UK) and in fact the supermarkets were open xmas day anyway so no need for that panic of not having enough food that we all seem to get. In the evening I went to Laura and Karime's apartment the other side of town for a planned Lasagne and Downton Abbey Christmas special evening with Cat and Faaraz. Lasagne was delicious, I made my lime cheesecake for dessert which went down well and felt very proud of succeeding to sit through two episodes of Downton Abbey without giving anything away (trust me not easy when you are a whole series ahead). A lovely relaxed evening with the friends who were also coming over to my place for Christmas Day. Another highlight of the evening was introducing everyone to the NORAD website where at midnight we were transfixed watching Santa's progress across Africa - very exciting they actually had a 'Santa cam' on Nairobi! (The website has had some serious upgrades since I last viewed it some years ago). Who would have ever have thought a room full of so-called adults would be so engrossed.
The Friday before (when we had all been out for Cat's birthday) we came up with our festivities plan. Essentially the two couples above with me planned to spend it together. Having been single for what feels like forever, you would think I would have got used to it - and on the whole I really have. Also while I have been here there are so many transient people I had not really noticed being single. But it started to dawn on me on Love Actually night that everyone else was in a couple and slightly on xmas morning waking up alone and not having anyone to open presents with. But never one to dwell on these things I started with doing some prep for the BBQ, did some intense but short exercise (told you I was obsessed) , wrapped lucky dip of presents I had got for my guests and turned up loud the Christmas tunes and was able to sing along with no one around to hear my awful singing voice. Then I put on the classic xmas movie I had downloaded the night before - 'It's a Wonderful Life' while I opened the few presents that I had been kindly given and bought back out with me. I got some very thoughtful ones that were very much appreciated including a very large wine glass with a painted picture of me on it that I continued to drink out of for the rest of the day. Fortunately after a bit of grey morning, the sun started to come out so I cleaned the outside table, put on my new plastic tablecloth and my new table umbrella ready for the afternoon. Sun still feels wrong on Christmas day though…
We had a delicious BBQ, far too much food - but that's traditional isn't it and lay out in the sun playing trivia games and of course hilarious charades - so all in all it managed to continue to have a nods at some British Christmas traditions. Once the sun went in, another good friend and her boyfriend came round in time for the Christmas pudding I bought back from the UK, lit with brandy of course and we even managed to make a dent in it even though we were all pretty stuffed. So all in all it was a lovely Christmas with great food and fun company.
Boxing day and the day after were just relaxing, mainly staying at home tidying up, exercising and packing for going down to coast for New Year (apparently you don't say THE coast, it's just coast). Diani where we are heading is where all the young people go to party - I guess it has to be done once but I am not sure this partying with 20 somethings all the time is going to last much into 2013. Not that I don't appreciate the friendship, I just find myself becoming more conscious of my difference in age, experiences, challenges (like where do I go to dye my hair!) and feeling a bit like a mother at times spouting advice…
- comments
Debs Great to hear about everything you've been up to Liz, wishing you a truly awesome 2013 x ps best bit of Love Actually is everyone reuniting at the airport!