Job seeker’s Diary

How was your Christmas? Mine was okay and I’m still bloated from all the food and “Fanta” I took. I know you also ate and drank a bit too much. Service providers, traders and brewers must be thrilled by the fortunes they made and will continue to make since we still have New Year’s to celebrate. But why do we eat that much on Christmas? And it’s not just an African thing. Westerners feast too. I guess that’s because we wait 12 months for this day. Christmas has generally been commercialized around the world with many businesses making more around this time than the rest of the year. If you don’t cash in big during this time, then you must wait for another “big” holiday and they are not many. People are also willing to spend, too willing I should say. And then in January or February when it’s time for the kids to go back to school, people “cry” because they spent the school fees money! Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about that. Early on in the week, my boss surprised us. We were not only paid early this time but we also got two days off to celebrate. That’s a new one considering that the boss is not even Christian. We even usually work on Sundays so you understand my surprise. Meanwhile, the boss, his family and the other “expatriates” at the restaurant will be travelling. It’s their way of celebrating. With some of my money, I bought chicken, rice and some fruit for the people at home and I must say we had our own feast. I however didn’t buy a new dress or pair of shoes. I realized that the obsession to get something new is not so big here compared to some other places I’ve been, where you must have a new outfit to show off to the neighbours. This time, I didn’t feel any pressure to do so. I didn’t even go to church, which I have to say felt kind of strange, as I usually go. See I’ve gone to the same church for the past five or so Christmas services and I just didn’t feel ready to join another church. It’s a lame excuse I know but that’s how I feel. The other things I have missed are the Christmas Carols. Christmas for me is as much about the Carols as it is about the food. Moving around town a couple of days to Christmas, I didn’t hear the Christmas signature tunes like Silent Night, Gingle Bells or Hack the Herald Angels Sing. Only on TV and a few radio stations were some played and I felt sad about that. There’s something about such songs that puts me in a festive mood but also reminds me of my childhood in Kampala. Christmas was, and still is big back home. Speaking of home, I also miss my family terribly. I can’t remember a time I wasn’t with them over this period and though I made calls, it didn’t feel the same. Christmas is about family and getting to see long-lost relatives. Stories, milestones and misfortunes of the past year are shared and in some cases, gifts exchanged. My “family” here helped to lighten the blues but I have decided that I will not spend another Christmas away from home. But at least I had a nice time. Many were not as lucky. Terrorists haven’t stopped their attempts to take as many innocent lives as they can and the bomb blast in Nairobi only early this week left many wounded. These people don’t seem to have any value for life. I also felt sorry for all those travellers across Europe who couldn’t make it home because of bad weather and snow. It must have been frustrating to be stuck at an airport for days with no hope of getting home in time for Christmas. To be continued… nsophie77@yahoo.com