MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
I still can’t believe I am spending Christmas in Kosovo. When I signed up for this route in January I knew in my head I would be missing this holiday with my family. But to be completely honest, I am not sure if I fully comprehended what that meant.
Yes, being away from home this Christmas has been hard, it has been strange and it has brought a different level of homesickness I have never quite experienced before.
I missed out on putting up the tree, going to see the Christmas Lights and other family traditions like Lamb’s Player Theater and Catan. It is strange to not be there for those kinds of things. It makes the song “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” much more real.
I think what I miss the most is my family. This is the first Christmas I have ever been away from home. (Pause to take a moment and shout out to my family to just tell you how much I love you and miss you guys!!!!!!!!!) Okay, pause over. I miss spending hours upon hours playing board games or cards. I miss sitting by the fire and chatting away with my siblings. I miss the endless amount of lovingly prepared home cooked food that is consumed ALL DAY LONG.
Yes, it is true. I miss all of these things, but I mostly miss the people.
It is a different kind of Christmas without them this year. But, I can say with 100% confidence I would not change this Christmas for anything.
I knew when I signed up for this route I would miss Christmas and, in that moment, I also made a decision to make the most of what my Christmas would look like this year. I decided I was going to embrace the difference and enjoy it for what it was, because I knew when I signed up for this route I wasn’t going to get a Christmas like this again. So, I embraced the change and decided to make the most of it.
This year, I am spending my Christmas away from my friends and family back home. I am spending it away from the traditions and away from the hustle and bustle. What I have found this Christmas though is…
New family and new friends. My team and my squad have become my family. I love them and am so thankful for the chance to celebrate this Christmas with my new family. I have made new friends this month and I love getting to hang out with them and share the joy of this season.
Today we are putting on a Christmas party/event for the church we have been working with this month and others who have been invited from the community. I am excited to be a part of a different family this year and already have some great Christmas memories made.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!
