It was the beginning of 2014, and snow had still not fallen in London. Our wait for White Christmas – which basically began right after the shops took all the Halloween items down – had been pointless. As an international student from a tropical Asian country, I had been so excited to be a part of that. Still, undeterred from the disappointment, I continued to celebrate Christmas even though it was already New Year’s.
I, 22, a postgraduate student from an artsy campus in the the suburbs, and my friend, 28, a postgraduate student from a business school in the city centre of London, met together and started off our year by escaping into a childhood world.
“Escapism” is not a separation from reality, but rather a rest from the rigid routines of daily life. When we went to the Christmas Market at Hyde Park in London, we almost forgot that we still had to finish up our dissertations. The place absorbed us into somewhere familiar – if not from hometowns, maybe in Hollywood films or something. We became children again.
With our mouths stuffed with food, we sipped mulled wine and took in the scene around us – loud voices, and incredibly good music. We tried to talk but could not hear each other.
There, we saw a creepy old Santa Claus with green light on his face welcoming us to join a game. We were flattered, but dare not follow him.
(Creepy Santa Clauses do exist.)
We chased after every live music performance, trying to be part of their shows. The weather was really cold that we could see the singers’ breath coming out from their mouths. Many events happening on the same crazy night – couples getting engaged, drunk teenagers trying to carry a drunk friend home, families and kids laughing with joy.
I was glad we were just like the last one – we laughed a lot at everything that we saw. It was a fun night, and we wanted to party until the sun rose. Did any miracles happen in our escapist journey that night? Well, it depends on how you look at it really. But it kept me thinking that maybe if we could be just like children – having fun and living in the present moment, we could see possibilities for great things to come.
Yes, on the journey back from the Christmas Market, I did not forget that I still had to complete my University coursework and dissertation. But that fun night was not unreal, so I carried my happiness back into my room and created the atmosphere for myself to survive for the rest of the academic year. Turned Christmas music on!
While studying overseas can be stressful sometimes, remember why you came here in the first place. It is a great privilege to experience new communities and cultures that not a lot of people from your hometown have known of. So why not? Just be open as much as you can and have fun with this special season.
Whether you are now studying somewhere far away from home, or dreaming to spread you wings and fly away someday, I wish you for the best future and lots of playful activities as can openers to new creativity. Who knows, that may lead you to an open way to a new destination.
–Rainbowlaughs55
Flying Ties 