Having lived in Taiwan for over 4 years, I knew I'd be giving up most of my American holidays for strange Asian holidays. Instead of Christmas, they have Chinese New Year. Instead of Independence Day, they have "Double Ten." Instead of Memorial Day, they have "Dragon Boat Festival."
Now that I'm back in America, I have all my old American holidays back. The only problem is...I have to work on every single one of them!
Yes, unless I actually request to have a specific day off, I am required to work on every holiday unless it happens to fall on a Saturday or Sunday. This is one of the drawbacks of working at a hospital. And being a new employee, the older employees who ask for time off for the holidays are more likely to get it than I am.
I'd been working on Thanksgiving Day for years while I was in Taiwan, so going to work this coming Thanksgiving isn't really anything new to me. We're still planning to have a Thanksgiving meal, except we're going to have it at noon instead of the evening, since I have to start work at 2pm.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are a bit different, though. I've always been at home for these two days. I've never had to work. However, this year is different, as my definition of "home" has changed. To me, "home" used to be the house I grew up in in Downey, California. I spent my final Christmas there in 2004. The following year, my brother and his wife sold that house and had my mother move in with them. My mom took the money she made from selling her house, and used it to buy my brother and his wife a house. It was in this new house that I spent Christmas for the last 3 years. It wasn't quite the same, and "going home for the holidays" just didn't have the same feeling for me that it used to. Of course, it didn't help that my brother and his wife always treated us pretty badly each year (all of which I have documented in my other blog, An American Teacher in Taiwan.)
Even if all the bullshit with my brother didn't happen this year, I doubt I would want to go there again. I mean, why pay thousands of dollars in travel expenses to go somewhere that you're not wanted?
Here's a story that I didn't tell on my last blog that I still think about to this day: About two years ago I when I was staying at my brothers house, my mom invited to take the whole family out to dinner at a pizza place. Only my brother knew how to get to the pizza place, and we would have to take two cars. Me, Christy, Sara, and my mom were in one car. My brother and his family were in the other. We had to follow him to get to the restaurant, and it required getting on the freeway (in Murrieta, you pretty much have to take the freeway to get anywhere.) Once we get onto the freeway, my brother starts driving like a freaking madman. He speeds up, swerves around cars, and does everything he can to try and lose us in traffic. I mean, he tried really, really hard to lose us. I don't really understand why he did this. We weren't at the point where we hated each other yet, so why was he treating us so badly? I'm his only brother, who he only sees once a year for maybe a week at most, so why does he want to act like a total asshole? It's things like this that I think about if I ever start to feel bad about our falling-out this year. It just makes me realize that I don't need a brother like him.
So this year I have a new definition of being "home for the holidays." That home is now me, Christy, Sara and Kyle. We bought our first Christmas tree this past weekend, and we'll start decorating our apartment shortly after Thanksgiving. I know they'll enjoy it.
Now that I'm back in America, I have all my old American holidays back. The only problem is...I have to work on every single one of them!
Yes, unless I actually request to have a specific day off, I am required to work on every holiday unless it happens to fall on a Saturday or Sunday. This is one of the drawbacks of working at a hospital. And being a new employee, the older employees who ask for time off for the holidays are more likely to get it than I am.
I'd been working on Thanksgiving Day for years while I was in Taiwan, so going to work this coming Thanksgiving isn't really anything new to me. We're still planning to have a Thanksgiving meal, except we're going to have it at noon instead of the evening, since I have to start work at 2pm.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are a bit different, though. I've always been at home for these two days. I've never had to work. However, this year is different, as my definition of "home" has changed. To me, "home" used to be the house I grew up in in Downey, California. I spent my final Christmas there in 2004. The following year, my brother and his wife sold that house and had my mother move in with them. My mom took the money she made from selling her house, and used it to buy my brother and his wife a house. It was in this new house that I spent Christmas for the last 3 years. It wasn't quite the same, and "going home for the holidays" just didn't have the same feeling for me that it used to. Of course, it didn't help that my brother and his wife always treated us pretty badly each year (all of which I have documented in my other blog, An American Teacher in Taiwan.)
Even if all the bullshit with my brother didn't happen this year, I doubt I would want to go there again. I mean, why pay thousands of dollars in travel expenses to go somewhere that you're not wanted?
Here's a story that I didn't tell on my last blog that I still think about to this day: About two years ago I when I was staying at my brothers house, my mom invited to take the whole family out to dinner at a pizza place. Only my brother knew how to get to the pizza place, and we would have to take two cars. Me, Christy, Sara, and my mom were in one car. My brother and his family were in the other. We had to follow him to get to the restaurant, and it required getting on the freeway (in Murrieta, you pretty much have to take the freeway to get anywhere.) Once we get onto the freeway, my brother starts driving like a freaking madman. He speeds up, swerves around cars, and does everything he can to try and lose us in traffic. I mean, he tried really, really hard to lose us. I don't really understand why he did this. We weren't at the point where we hated each other yet, so why was he treating us so badly? I'm his only brother, who he only sees once a year for maybe a week at most, so why does he want to act like a total asshole? It's things like this that I think about if I ever start to feel bad about our falling-out this year. It just makes me realize that I don't need a brother like him.
So this year I have a new definition of being "home for the holidays." That home is now me, Christy, Sara and Kyle. We bought our first Christmas tree this past weekend, and we'll start decorating our apartment shortly after Thanksgiving. I know they'll enjoy it.
I am a huge fan of your blog! Your life and family are really amazing.
ReplyDeleteHopefully Sarah and Kyle don't grow up to have the same relationship as you and your brother. You have mentioned in your last blog some tension between the two, but it seems like it is just kid stuff.
I have a weird question. Do you consider Taiwan your "second home", or do you just think of it as the country you lived and worked in for a few years?
Taiwan is a second home. If things don't work out here in the US, we will move back there. It's the place my wife calls home, and our two children are half Taiwanese, so Taiwan will always be a big part of our lives.
ReplyDelete