How did I celebrate Christmas alone in Chile with 34 degrees?

A totally different Christmas than that I have ever experienced before. With my flip flops wondering around in the supermarket searching for coolness because of the 30 degree temperature outside. This was a serious change of life. This was celebrating Christmas in Chile with 34 degrees.

I didn’t have any plans for Christmas with other people, so gladly it was really warm (34 degrees) and I was able to lay in the sun and stay close to the swimming pool which we have. I hear you think.. You celebrated Christmas alone. Well, yes. I did and you probably find it sad for me. Yeah, it was. However, on the other hand, it felt more weird than that I found myself sad. Still I was celebrating Christmas in Chile with 34 degrees, whereas, in the Netherlands it was raining and around 7.

Celebrating Christmas in Chile

So yeah, my Christmas was very relax and besides laying in the sun, reading my book, listening to music and some cookings during the evening, I didn’t do much. And actually, I didn’t really mind about it. The way the Chilean people celebrate Christmas here is different than how we do it in the Netherlands; atmosphere, decorations, etc. When I was in the supermarket on Christmas Eve and wished the employee a very merry Christmas, she looked at me like: “Why are you saying that?”, which is strange and uncomfortable for me because it is so normal for me. Besides that, didn’t I see one house decorated from the outside and are public places only decorated when it has the aim to sell something. Yeah, not really the happy Christmas vibe.

On the first day of Christmas I spoke with my family on WhatsApp video. They apparently still had some very nice presents for me. What a surprise! But that is what I also had for them. For the most of them, because my mom already knew it. However, now I can also tell you that I am coming home earlier than I planned. I would first arrive in the Netherlands on the 4th of February, but that is now changed into the 24th of January. On the 12th of January I will write another blog about what I thought about my five months in Chile, but if I should give a reason for coming home earlier it is just that I really want to go home. To my family, friends, just back in the Netherlands.

New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve was for me something much important to experience than Christmas. Like I said, I didn’t really have that Christmas feeling so I didn’t care about being alone, although many others told me how sad it was ha-ha. For me, being alone with New Year’s Eve would have been much more sad. It would be like, me wishing myself a happy new year with a glass of champagne in my hand. Yeah, I didn’t want that and gladly that didn’t happen.

My old housemate, Maria, who started to live together with her boyfriend invited me for a party with food together with some other friends. So, we first were at their apartment, the swimming pool on the roof and later, the men started to prepare the bbq and some other very delicious dishes.

The time past by very fast that night. At around eleven we decided that it would be time to go on the streets. We were in total with five people. In Santiago there were two places where the National fireworks was and luckily one place was like 800 meters from Maria’s apartment.

There were many many people, children, grandparents, adults, teenagers. Everyone waiting and looking at the screen until it starts to count off from ten.

Diez, nueve, ocho, siete, seis, cinco, cuatro, tres, dos, uno… Feliz año nuevoooooo !!!

The fireworks last for around twenty minutes and was really amazing! The vibe was very good and there was music until two from a band. All the people dancing and being happy (First time I saw Chilean people happy). Of course, I found it difficult that I wasn’t at home during this moment, but I am very glad that Maria invited me and made me feel so welcome. I really helped and I enjoyed!

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