Happy Holidays Everyone and HAPPY New Year ! I cannot believe we are already in 2017, also known as the year that I’m graduating… and never gonna be a student again? What.

time is passing so quickly so let me just get into the post.

It’s been so amazing getting to see my family again, they were so sweet to fly over this year instead of me going back to see them cause I’ve just so much work to do… over christmas and new years and I’ve already started planning my deadlines and I know that I’m going to have to be in the library everyday until 4/4/17 (the date of my dissertation submission)

Today, I’m gonna be sharing with you guys about the Road trip my family and I planned out and also some of my Christmas Plans…

We drove to Cantebury where there was a reindeer farm, which was so exciting because the last time I saw a reindeer, was in Finland and when we didn’t have a chance to get up close with the reindeers!

My parents were so sweet, they actually brought me a reindeer gingerbread all the way from Switzerland which explains the greeting, “Frohes Fest” translated,  means Happy Holidays in German on the gingerbread!

There was a store selling “reindeer feed” as well as carrots, to feed these reindeers but not to worry, the whole farm was kept sanitary with these hand santizers dotted around the farm and feeding spots ! At the farm, they also sold reindeer crafts and decors, these little souvenirs that visitors could take home and remember their visit 🙂 And the cafe also gave out mince pies which were delicious !

Note* A mince pie is a christmas baked dessert that is kind of like marmite, it has a really distinctive taste where either you love it or you don’t… and for me, I LOVE MINCE PIES.

Mince pies have a filling of dried fruits baked with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves: basically in my opinion, like a pumpkin spice latte in pie form. hahaha it screams Christmas and cinnamon, a lot of cinnamon.

Meeting the reindeers would not have been complete without meeting the jolly man himself, Santa Claus who was right there on the reindeer farm!

Have you been good this year ? he asked me in his deep “santa” voice, I just looked away, cause I clearly have not been doing as much readings as I should do … #guilty

Next, we drove down to The White Cliffs of Dover, which was such a cool place because this is the closest spot from England, to France. It’s a dock where trading happens as well as travellors who decide to travel with their car from France to England and viceversa!

Look at how narrow that path we were walking on, we were so near the edge of the cliff, it was kinda terrifying but the view made it all worth it… also ladies, do not wear your favourite shoes because it gets so muddy and mine got so ruined !

But things got even cooler when even my phone got confused for a second and thought I was in France! That’s how close we were !! It made me feel somewhat homesick because I was not going home this Christmas and the next time Id be going back would be in February/ March…

 

On Christmas day itself, I was so glad that I got to be with my family at least… We went out for some christmas cocktails and played some party games like pin the nose of Rudolph ahaha… It was so nice just to be with family on that special day 🙂 To make things even sweeter, I was invited by my Thai friends from work to a Christmas party they were having at the restaurant since it was closed for Christmas! It was so nice to be with all of them and my boss was so sweet to get me a gift as well and even though everyone was speaking in Thai, just being around them and the company made the night memorable.

Some of my friends from high school and I also decided to do an “international” secret santa as well and I received an email from my post reception that said I had received a parcel but I didn’t remember ordering anything so it was such a surprise when i got it, it was such a sweet box filled with things that I definitely loved, this person definitely knew me ! it was such a cute package and I realized it was from my friend, Kartikay from highschool who’s now studying in Netherlands!! So this box travelled all the way from there, made it here on the night before Christmas!

I had these fuzzy feelings of just being so thankful having my family with me, feeling the love from being with my Thai-family and also receiving such a thoughtful gift from my friend!

Christmas 2016 was definitely, one to remember!