No matter how much you're enjoying your TEFL experience, you would have to be a pretty hardy soul not to get homesick at Christmas.
While your family are all gathered together, eating, drinking and being merry, you can't help but feel isolated as you try your best to feel festive in a country where their idea of celebrating Christmas is radically different from your own.
In Spain for example, most people give presents on Twelfth Night (January 6th) which is when the Three Kings brought the baby Jesus's gifts. Children in Norway get their presents from Julebukk, a gnome that looks like a goat. Meanwhile the Japanese are often seen spending Christmas Day in KFC, a tradition that dates back to the hugely successful 'Kentucky for Christmas' advertising campaign in the 1970s. In many secular countries, including China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Christmas is not officially a public holiday and you will be lucky to get the day off work!
If this doesn't sound like your idea of fun, then try these top tips to get yourself into the Christmas spirit:
1. Make your family feel guilty about the fact that you are so far away from home and milk it for all it's worth. Ask if they will help ease your emotional distress by posting you lots of Christmas treats. We're thinking along the lines of sweets and chocolates - don't ask anyone to mail you a turkey leg. It won't end well!
2. Count yourself lucky. The wonders of modern technology mean that you can now Skype your loved ones back home and you will feel as if you are right there with them. Teaching English as a foreign language twenty or thirty years ago was a different kettle of fish, with expensive long distance phone calls, often made from a phone box, or letters, that took weeks upon weeks to be delivered, the only lines of communication.
3. Find some other Westerners in your area. The expat community in your town, city or village might be organising a Christmas dinner of some description. Everyone is in the same boat in that they just want to experience something that feels familiar. If there's nothing going on then take the initiative and invite everyone round to your flat. Look around the shops and see if you can find any decorations to brighten the place up a bit.
4. Download some Christmas movies. Elf, Home Alone, It's A Wonderful Life...the list of Christmas classics is endless. Watching your favourite festive film is sure to get you feeling warm and fuzzy.
5. Share Christmas with your students. TEFL isn't just about learning a language, it's also a cultural exchange. By living in a new country you get to learn all about their way of life. Equally, you should take the opportunity to teach them a bit about your own. You can even do a lesson on Christmas. There are plenty of lesson plans freely available on the internet if you're stuck for ideas.
Whatever you end up doing, and wherever you are in the world, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
While your family are all gathered together, eating, drinking and being merry, you can't help but feel isolated as you try your best to feel festive in a country where their idea of celebrating Christmas is radically different from your own.
In Spain for example, most people give presents on Twelfth Night (January 6th) which is when the Three Kings brought the baby Jesus's gifts. Children in Norway get their presents from Julebukk, a gnome that looks like a goat. Meanwhile the Japanese are often seen spending Christmas Day in KFC, a tradition that dates back to the hugely successful 'Kentucky for Christmas' advertising campaign in the 1970s. In many secular countries, including China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Christmas is not officially a public holiday and you will be lucky to get the day off work!
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| Julebukk: Bringing presents to Norwegian children |
1. Make your family feel guilty about the fact that you are so far away from home and milk it for all it's worth. Ask if they will help ease your emotional distress by posting you lots of Christmas treats. We're thinking along the lines of sweets and chocolates - don't ask anyone to mail you a turkey leg. It won't end well!
2. Count yourself lucky. The wonders of modern technology mean that you can now Skype your loved ones back home and you will feel as if you are right there with them. Teaching English as a foreign language twenty or thirty years ago was a different kettle of fish, with expensive long distance phone calls, often made from a phone box, or letters, that took weeks upon weeks to be delivered, the only lines of communication.
3. Find some other Westerners in your area. The expat community in your town, city or village might be organising a Christmas dinner of some description. Everyone is in the same boat in that they just want to experience something that feels familiar. If there's nothing going on then take the initiative and invite everyone round to your flat. Look around the shops and see if you can find any decorations to brighten the place up a bit.
4. Download some Christmas movies. Elf, Home Alone, It's A Wonderful Life...the list of Christmas classics is endless. Watching your favourite festive film is sure to get you feeling warm and fuzzy.
5. Share Christmas with your students. TEFL isn't just about learning a language, it's also a cultural exchange. By living in a new country you get to learn all about their way of life. Equally, you should take the opportunity to teach them a bit about your own. You can even do a lesson on Christmas. There are plenty of lesson plans freely available on the internet if you're stuck for ideas.
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| Teaching your Children about Christmas is a great idea for a lesson |
Whatever you end up doing, and wherever you are in the world, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
