Last year was my first ever Christmas away from home in the Philippines. Instead of journeying to the humble province of Camarines Sur, I flew over to California and Washington to visit relatives from my dad’s side of the family.
This year was my second year of karaoke-free Christmas and I spent it with Ange and his family in their hometown of Mattawa in Northern Ontario, Canada.
The ideas of a quiet town covered in snow and seeing Ange’s family (some of whom I’d previously met) fueled my excitement for the visit. Indoors, it was warm and cozy, with some comfy couches to choose from and an endless supply of baby pictures of Ange. Outdoors, it looked lovely yet felt like torture – but at least I can say that I’ve experienced almost -40° C temperature. If you don’t know what that’s like, just imagine your toes and fingers getting so cold that it almost burns.
The first time I ever touched snow was last December with my relatives when we drove to Oregon. Unfortunately, the snow had already melted (which still didn’t discourage my eager hands) and I wasn’t able to have the full experience. In Mattawa, I’ve learned that unmelted snow is actually quite…powdery? And when you walked on it, it felt odd, almost like you’re stepping on tiny styrofoam balls. It was all just fascinating to someone like myself who’s lived in places known for their relatively higher temperatures and snow is just a TV thing or something you wished for in December. Despite my lack of fondness for extremely cold temperatures, I was enthralled by the spectacle of snow blanketing the surroundings.
Having lived almost half of my life in on-campus dorms where there are waaay too many people around me, it was very shocking for me to step out and pretty much just see trees and a road. I also discovered from walking around the area a little bit that the closest neighbor doesn’t exactly live a stone’s throw away. The quiet was only interrupted by stray sounds of nature and the odd vehicle passing by.
Ladies and gentlemen – meet “Shambles,” the cause of much stress and some tears during the first couple of days of my visit. Due to some childhood trauma involving a baby kitten and a very angry Mama cat (we had a few stray cats that permanently invited themselves into my family’s house), I literally could not stand to be in the same place as this little Siamese kitty. Thankfully, I courageously faced this fear through practicing some truly grueling acts: petting the cat while someone’s holding him, petting the cat while he’s sleeping, letting the cat sleep on my lap, and trying not to freak when he’s jumping around like a little maniac. He still freaked me out a little bit when he was too jumpy, or when he exposed his little claws, but I at least stopped feeling like I wanted to burst into tears…Haha…
I was delighted to have time and plenty of comfortable spaces to read while at the Yaghi home (at least once I got more used to being around Shambles). Reading is one of my favorite hobbies and it’s something that I have sadly been neglecting. For some reason, I always think that I’m far too engrossed in my schoolwork to have time to read, but that’s a load of baloney! No matter what anyone says, one can never be too busy to read.
Having only read around a total of three books unrelated to school in the past semester, I hungrily devoured One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson in a span of around a week. Now it actually makes me a little sad thinking about how I could have swapped some of my Family Guy viewing time for reading.
For a look at the books I’ve recently read, as well as my ratings and reviews, visit my Goodreads profile!
It goes without saying, but spending a holiday with this individual was a lovely experience. He patiently dealt with my fear of the kitten (I know it makes me sound like a bad person; please don’t judge me) and gifted me with his presence, which I found especially comforting when we spent our time reading together. He may have some really crazy ideas that I’m not a huge fan of like, “Let’s go outside [in the freezing cold] and take some pictures,” but I guess I don’t really mind.
Our stay ended on New Year’s day, and we had to make the four- to five-hour journey back to Toronto. It was such a lovely and warm visit despite the actual cold, and I enjoyed doing quite a few things, such as: hearing the most unbelievable stories from Ange’s family, being able to sit in the snow in surreal snow pants, and holding a sleeping, ash-faced baby cat.
Now I am in Toronto again, determined to not fail miserably with this year’s resolutions. Good luck with yours – if you haven’t given up on yourself this year. 😉
Ferna’s interests include blogging, reading and learning all things digital media! She hopes to soon become a half-decent baker.
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