Traditions

A Sunday Scribblings post, only three weeks late. It's like most writing I have done in life - essays, belated birthday cards. Late. Which turns out to be this week's topic, so conveniently, with one sentence, I've managed to catch back up!

I was thinking a lot about the traditions prompt, but it's taken me awhile to come up with something to say. The thing about being an expat is that you generally have to leave behind a lot of the traditions you started back in your home country. I spent Canadian Thanksgiving eating galbi and singing cheesy songs at norae bang, for example.

My family has lots of interesting traditions. There's the naming thing - boys only get one middle name, but somehow all the girls get two. There's the British foods that we still all eat - like coddled eggs, which even the British have barely heard of these days. My egg coddlers may not be with me here in Korea, but I wouldn't be a part of the family if I didn't own a few. I'm hoping that the tradition of how the roll-top desk gets passed on continues, because I'm pretty sure I've got that one in the bag. There's the familiar socks and underwear tradition - and since my mother is quite honest on the customs forms, I know that one is being followed this year.

However, traditions don't have to have been around since childhood to be important. For the last two years, I've gone to Geckos for Christmas dinner. The turkey is good and the company has always been great. Each year I've gone with different people - Korea is a revolving door for teachers and army and those few other people here doing something different. It's the company that makes it special though - the first year I was there with Vanessa and Sheila and crew and the second with Samarra and Brain. I anticipate this year's being great too.

As much as I will miss everyone back home and all the things I recall doing for the holidays with them, tradition doesn't have to end when you are far from home.