Tuesday, December 21, 2010
THE very first time I was away for Christmas was way back in ’87. No. Make that the 2nd time. I was in another country the first time but it was where Christmas is not celebrated. So, it didn’t matter I guess.
Spending my very first Christmas in New York City was both awesome and terrible.
It was actually an ambivalent feeling of love and hate, feeling of excitement and loneliness, feeling of ecstasy yet there is that emptiness inside of me.
Back when I was a kid, I would be dreaming of a “white” Christmas! Touching and feeling the snowflakes, enjoying the extreme cold of the weather wearing thick jackets with those scarves, head gears and all! Because I can only dream of them then. But the time came finally for me to experience all of it. And what a truly unforgettable feeling it was for me!
It was in the month of September when I left for the Big Apple for a nursing job. The wind was chilly, yet very soothing. A light jacket is what was needed to keep me warm since it was just the Fall (Autumn) season. The view was splendid and spectacular, the changing of the colors of the leaves, from green to yellow, to pink, to brown. It was just amazing to see all of these and finally, experiencing it. In fact, I still got the leaf I kept as a souvenir in one of my countless photo albums somewhere.
Then came Winter season. I thought snow would fall as winter starts. But then I was disappointed because the snow did not appear till almost the last week of December. It wasn’t really what I expected because it didn’t even cover the grounds. A few more days and then it started snowing in the middle of the night.
I was euphoric and thrilled! With my new found friends, we went outside and started taking pictures! There were no Facebook then to upload to show to friends, unlike now. It was indeed my first snow fall! Just like kids, we started making snow balls and started hitting each other like crazy. It was so much fun.
I thought I would be better off working on Christmas day since I can then visit my friends and bring with me my home-baked goodies. But I was wrong. I couldn’t get a cab. So I spent the next 24 hours in my room, listening to Christmas Carols and feeling sorry for myself. It was terrible. Being away from home, and friends.
What made it more bitter was that Christmas carols were played all day and all night on the 25th of December, that reminded me so much of home. All alone in my room for the whole day. How bad can it get? All I can do was just watch TV (thank goodness I have one in my room) and feel the coldness (literally) and feeling empty, away from my family. I would be a hypocrite if I don’t say I cried and cried till I just went to sleep that day.
The following day was better because I get to go back to work. Surrounded with co-workers and new found friends, we talked about our Christmas experiences and of course, we did brought some food with us. So we had a little party in our nursing quarters after all. And this reminded me of my best head nurse of all time, the funny, beautiful and gorgeous Ms. Lynda Hunter.
Since most of us (Filipino nurses) stayed at the “nurses residence,” which is actually on a 12th floor of a huge building within the hospital’s (Bronx
Municipal Hospital Center) premises, we also celebrated our little Christmas party with much food, dance and laughter which temporarily eased out our homesickness. We had our exchange gifts and of course, we had tremendous fun shopping for our presents.
I cannot remember how many times it snowed during that winter. But I do remember every time a huge snow fall comes, we would take on our heavy coats and jackets and get out of our rooms so we can spend it outside!
A few blocks from where we stayed, there was a house that is transformed into a Christmas wonderland, heavily decorated with Christmas decors like moving life-sized Santa Claus, snow man and many more converting it into a “huge” Gingerbread-like house, complete with blinking lights that amazes everyone who pass by. Of course, the place would look a lot better at night with all the lights on!
What is New York City if one doesn’t get to go to 5th Avenue or 34th Street? Or downtown New York in general? Well-known department stores like Macy’s, Sac’s Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale and several others try to outdo each other with their glamorous, magnificent and fantastic window displays. So many things are on sale and we just have to control ourselves or else we will end up working all day and night just to pay off our debts.
After my initial visit to Rockefeller Center, it was just the place to go anytime of the year. They change their decorations and “scenery” of the area depending on the season. On Christmas, it’ll be filled with lighted trumpeting angels and poinsettias. The ground is turned into an icy skating ring. What about the tallest Christmas tree? Whew! That was awesome! And since St. Patrick Cathedral is just a block away, I would attend the mass if there’s one. If not, it would be a visit and saying a prayer or two for me, my family and friends.
Radio City Music Hall is also within the vicinity and that is the time of year when they get to show exciting performances. However, sad to say, I haven’t been to any one of them. Poor me! Maybe next time.
I had the chance to visit my “2nd” family in Rockland, about an hour drive North of the Bronx during my days off. There I have spent some fond memories with the Hildalgo Family: Nelson (a child psychiatrist), Garcenia and their lovely kids.
Garce (for short) is the elder sister of a student of mine before. And unknowingly, her parents were my parent’s friends too. And I only got to know it after I told my mom about them.
The drive to their place is spectacular specially if it is covered with snow because I get to see well-decorated houses covered with snow, the trees, the shrubs, the roads…it was just picture perfect! And listening to Christmas music makes it more exciting.
Lately I have been seeing a lot of pictures of friends in Facebook with snow-covered sceneries and that terribly brought back a lot of memories. Again, it is an ambivalent feeling of wanting to be there yet wanting to spend the yuletide season with my family here. I always tell myself, there’s always a next year. And so, I’ll just patiently wait and hope that soon, I would once again spend a cold, chilly, icy winter in New York.
A very merry and exciting Christmas to all! (Website: www.potsnpans1976.weebly.com; email: potsnpans1976@yahoo.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on December 22, 2010.
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