There’s no place like home

The best christmas present I got last year was going home for the holiday! Sure it was expensive and a long….long….long way away, but it was totally worth it! Being on the other side of the world makes you appreciate simple things like having a cup of tea with your mum.

After the long haul back to Sydney, walking in to my “real” house was so bizarre because for some reason it felt like either I had grown 1 foot taller from living in Holland (the land of giants)…or my house had shrunken!

So…. I had escaped the “exotic” traditions of Holland’s Christmas (technically Sinterklaas Avond, not related to “our” holiday) and was entering the familiar traditions of an Australian Christmas…..one of which is the making of Christmas fruit cake!

Every year, mum and I use my nanna’s (her mum’s) special recipe which is written by her on several pieces of paper with specific instructions, so cute. It is the most rich, fruity and moist (I usually detest the word ‘moist’ but there was no other suitable term) fruit cake I have ever eaten. Because I knew I wouldn’t be hanging around for very long after Christmas, I ate as much of this cake each day because I hated the thought of missing out on it’s deliciousness.

Mum holding nanna's christmas cake recipe

Me in our green kitchen

Christmas itself started with mum and I exchanging presents like little kids who couldn’t wait for the other guests to arrive! Then Kaushik arrived and we sat down to a fruit salad and pancake breakfast. My brother also swung by for a visit, one of the few times I see him each year…although to be fair he’s been busy working and studying lately.

Before heading off to visit my aunty Pat and her partner Peter (P overload!) in Wollongong, I dropped by Kaushik’s house to wish his family a happy Christmas. His family (like most) cook up a giant lunch which could feed a small country. I also love how his dad will deliberately go for a brisk walk before lunch, thus working up an appetite

So anyway, mum and I set off to Wollongong with a picnic lunch stop on the way. I can’t tell you how much I was enjoying the sun and heat after coming from a winter climate! Once we arrived I surprised my aunt with my new hair (did you notice in the photo?) and enjoyed a leisurely afternoon of cups of tea and catching up.

The next day we visited the Nan Tien Temple which is the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere. It was so refreshing to go inside the temples and be greeted by calm and peaceful statues of Buddha…it’s such a contrast to visiting a Catholic church which is often filled with grim and frightening depictions of death which leave you feeling guilty and scared. The surrounding gardens and lotus ponds were also very beautiful and I would love to go back one day with a picnic lunch. Yep…..food.

Aunty Pat and mum being cute

Me, aunty Pat and mum

One of the lotus ponds

We then visited Peter’s lovely parents house who’s backyard is filled with home grown vegetables and chickens. I really want to live that way one day, it seems to keep them young…not to mention the money they save and it’s benefits for the environment.

It was time to drive back home to Sydney where mum and I rented “Little Miss Sunshine”. I had been planning on watching it for a long time and I’m glad we did….what a ridiculous ending! Loved it.

The rest of my time back home was spent just hanging out with mum and catching up with some of my friends. It’s funny that no matter how exciting and different travelling is, I look forward to the day when I go back to my “normal” life. In the mean time, I’m really enjoying living overseas while it lasts!

Tags: travel, The Netherlands, Holland, christmas, traditions, australia, fruit cake, church, buddhism, nan tien temple