She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes....

Hooray! Hooray! I’ll be home for christmas! PRolly only a day or two before, but I’ll be there for the first with all the family in several years! Here’s how it happened.

THE STORY OF A BROWN CHRISTMAS
Once upon a time was a 18 year old Girl living in Austria, as part of a cultural exchange. She was there for a terribly long time, and began to miss home a little, but enjoyed being in this strange country with funny toilets and lots of dubbed bad American tv. Thinking a White Christmas would be lovely and novel, not to mention the opportunity to let off fireworks at New Years, she opted to return home at the beginning of January. This felt like a very long time, and the Girl started to wonder what Christmas without all the normal traditions would be. Slowly she started to think that really it would be nice to be back in Australia, but since there wasn’t much she could do about it, she decided to just embrace the new opportunity and deal with it. The only thing she could really think of to do was to pray that she’d feel comfortable and not miss home terribly for the most important celebration in the year. She did this, and after asking for support from her friends, she knew she’d make it through. January the 4th still felt a long time away, and the Girl was starting to feel rather homesick. She called her Local Support/Representative, and asked if they could meet and discuss a few things (although going home earlier was not one of these). Suddenly a change was in the air, and an opportunity was presented. The Local Supporter told the Girl her Host Family wanted to go on a long holiday over Christmas, the Host Father being ultra-stressed from his job. The Girl was given an Ultimatum of three choices. First stay until mid – end of January, and holiday with the family. Second have Christmas with a different family, just for the experience. Third, go home just before Christmas. The first two options were not particularly appealing to our Heroine, and having plans for January and not really wanting to gate crash a random family’s Christmas, she opted for the third choice. Having not heard this option before, the Girl was very surprised at how excited she got when she thought of having Christmas at home. She realised this was an answered prayer, and after a short discussion with her Host Mother, and a slightly longer one with her Normal Mother, she rang the Local Supporter with jubilation. ‘I want to go home for Christmas!!’ she exclaimed, thinking of all the things she’d previously resigned herself to missing out on; whatever gets offered at BeeWaa, Midnight Mass at All Saints, seeing the whole family together, Taste of Tasmania, camps! From then on the homesickness that had previously plagued our Girl was gone, replaced by a sense of ‘I’m going to be home for Christmas!!!’ This is a true story, it happened to … Me!

Hooray! I’m serious when I say that I’m genuinely excited about being home for the most important celebration in the year, I hadn’t thought it was an option, and was amazed at my brain jumping up and down with happiness when I heard it! Of course, I don’t know if I’ll get to do all the things I look forward to – if I get in on Christmas Eve, BeeWaa might be tricky, but my jetlag should be perfect for getting me off to Midnight Mass! I’m sure it’ll all be sorted and looked after!

Anyway, that’s my news for the week, back to school next Wednesday, so last week of freedom! Doing lots of German grammar revision (even bought a grammar book), sitting in the sun that’S finally come out (must be the school effect – always happens in Tassie too – nice weather when back or almost back at school!) But anyway, this is meant to just be a short post, so will stop now! Btw, if anyone has any requests for anything small cheap and portable from here, tell me! You may not get it, but I’ll think about it, and it’s the thought that counts! Nah, I’m largely thinking of things you can’t get in Australia (like the chocolate people always have to buy for us when they visit Denmark)…!