Working
in the EFL world in an Asian country means it is little surprise that we get only
a few days off work to enjoy the festive period. Unsurprisingly, Chinese New Year is the big
holiday in these parts, when National holidays and time off are a given.
In
Vietnam I celebrated Christmas in a swanky Saigon hotel, sharing a beautiful
buffet with friends, before sipping cocktails at a rooftop bar overlooking the
city. This year could not have been more
different, but equally enjoyable.
Friends of mine kindly invited approximately 20 of us to spend Christmas
Day at their apartment. Bringing food,
drinks and Secret Santa gifts, this would be as traditional as any expat
Christmas could be. A very expensive
turkey dinner was prepared and devoured before the fruit cake was consumed and
alcohol started to flow. It was a thoroughly
enjoyable gathering which made us all feel very thankful to have such great
friends around us whilst being so far from home.
New
Year’s Eve was again cause for celebration, good company and merriment. Living in a busy, densely populated city
means you’re always surrounded by people.
This is something I quickly got used to in Vietnam, to the point when
returning to the UK I felt distinctly ‘lonely’ in sparsely populated British
public spaces. On New Year’s Eve,
however, I had my first experience of feeling like I was in a crowd. The Bund was packed; everyone having the same
idea – get to the waterfront to see the firework show at midnight. It brought back memories of many an afternoon
spent walking up Utting Avenue in Liverpool towards Anfield stadium. You don’t consciously walk per say, you more
‘float’ on a wave of the movement around you.
After watching the fireworks we retreated to a nearby bar to continue
the celebrations in expat style.
Thumbs
up for festivities in Shangers – a mix of traditional and alternative, which
suits me just fine.
A xx
