Mi Nochebuena

Last December 24 was a tiring day for me, even though there's no patient to take care of in the hospital, I still have to finish the 8 hours OJT for that day, that was from 2 to 10 o'clock in the evening. It was the last 2 remaining OJT's in the hospital, the next one will be next week, December 31, New Year's Eve.

Now, if you are wondering what are those strange white things we are clasping as though they were a trophy on the photo above, well those are plastic plates; we were invited for a Christmas Eve dinner at a friend's house, we were holding them because the place was small, there were lots of people and the table was quite small too.  That's where we went right after we left the hospital around 10 PM.

The food was delicious! My favorite was the Calamares and the one with quail's eggs, I think it's called '7 Seasons'?, (Yummy!) We really enjoyed it.  There were lots of new faces and some old friends too, but unfortunately we had to leave early because I was not feeling well, I was coughing severely, and could not even sing at the karaoke even if I'd stayed, (damn!,) and besides, one of my friends will have to report for work the next day (yes, on Christmas day,) and I still have to drop him to his apartment. Thanks Ben and Joel for that wonderful dinner!

So, that was how I spent my Nochebuena. That was better than last year, where I just spent it infront of my computer. Hopefully next year will be much better. Eventhough the (Filipino) Christmas season is not yet over, (not until the 'Epiphany' on January 6,)  I'm now looking forward to the New Year. I just hope that 2011 will be a good year for all of us. MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Trivia: Nochebuena means Christmas Eve. It's just one word, not Noche Buena, otherwise you're talking about a Mexican beer, a brand of cheese or a theatrical production.

My 11th Christmas In Saudi Arabia

It's Yuletide season again. This will be my 12th Christmas away from home, and my 11th consecutive Christmas in Saudi Arabia. The first time I celebrated Christmas here in the Kingdom was in 1999 in Riyadh. It was December 23rd when I arrived, 2 days before Christmas, so I think you could almost imagine what was going on in my mind, and what I'm feeling during that time.

There I was, a Filipino Christian, alone in a Muslim country which is synonymous to stern strictness on almost everything you can imagine, so Christmas is almost non-existent, (I said "almost" because even though I'm in a Muslim country, there are also a huge Christian population here, and Filipinos make up the huge percentage of that). And because of some Filipino co-workers who welcomed me to the company, my fears and sadness had been eased a little, even for just a moment.

I remember during that Christmas eve, I was still working from 8 PM up until 2 AM, because the Yuletide season then coincided with Ramadan, and you can't imagine how tired I was. I didn't even have the energy to celebrate it with some of my friends, I just ate my dinner and then went to bed. So sad.

My Christmas celebration this year will be a different one, although the loneliness is still there because I'm still not celebrating it with my loved ones. In a way, I've gotten used to it through the years, but not totally. I'll just call my children back home and greet them Merry Christmas. This is the season when I miss them the most.

There are just two Filipinos in our company, and we are living in the same apartment. We've been through all this Christmas thing many times before, and we'll get through this again. We've already gone to the supermarket this afternoon, and bought the ingredients for the Pancit Guisado that we will cook for our Nochebuena on Christmas eve. Delicious!

While driving to the supermarket, we were listening to Christmas songs by The Jackson 5, Mariah Carey and The Carpenters. Wow!, it really brought back a lot of memories, especially Jackson 5 when they sing "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and "Give Love On Christmas Day", I loved that feeling!

For now I want to say, Merry Christmas to all, especially to all OFWs around the world. I leave you with a quote from Calvin Coolidge,

“Christmas is not a time nor a season,

but a state of mind.

To cherish peace and goodwill,

to be plenteous in mercy,

is to have the real spirit of Christmas.”


MERRY CHRISTMAS!

¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!

MALIGAYANG PASKO!

Link: My Top 10 Christmas Songs Of All Time

* The photo above was our living room, taken a year ago. I still live in that very same apartment.