By SooToday.com Staff
SooToday.com
Monday, January 04, 2010

The following note from a loyal reader in Taiwan is one of many special greetings from expatriate Saultbies that SooToday.com is publishing over the holidays.

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Season’s Greetings from Taipei, Taiwan.

Christmas just flew by in a blink over here.

The temperature has recently dropped from around 33 degrees to a whopping 18 degrees.

Believe it or not, I actually find 18 degree weather cold.

*Gasp!

I know, eh!

Everyone tells me I should be a lot tougher considering I’m from Canada!

My first Christmas away from the Sault was interesting.

Even though Taiwanese culture doesn’t celebrate Christmas, a lot of the stores were decorated with trees and lights.

They even blasted Christmas music all day long.

It was great!

I have been teaching English here for about four months now, and my school actually hosted a Christmas performance for all of the students.

We practised for about a month to prepare for this festive occasion.

The student’s parents even bought elaborate costumes for their children to wear.

It was the closest experience to Christmas that many of them have ever had.

My fellow English teachers and I celebrated Christmas Day with a delicious dinner, at a local pub, consisting of pizza and wine!

I’m not going to lie, I really missed my mom’s turkey dinner this year.

The pizza was great, but it just didn’t compare.

Turkey is actually really hard to find here, which is crazy since there seems to be an abundance of every other kind of meat on display in the windows of the little food shops that are scattered up and down every street.

Everywhere you look there’s a restaurant or mobile cart.

The food is amazing and the people are friendly and welcoming.

I look forward to ringing in the new year here in Taiwan,
but I also can’t wait to return home in eight months and spend some good quality time with friends and family.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

- Marion Hammerstedt

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Look who else has written to us this year

Two Meghans travel home from James Bay (3 photos)
Holiday greetings from the southwest Pacific
Mischa's first Christmas away from the Sault
Brianna dons a sombrero. In Germany. It kind of sucks!
Christmas in a tank
Saultbies in Sarnia
Bayview holds a special place in this Winnipegger's heart
They don't miss our snow in Panama City Beach
Homesick Saultites complain of cold weather. In Kuwait
Merry Christmas from Sylvan Lake, Alberta
Saultbies in Barrie miss gramma, nonna and nonno
Sioux Lookout snowmobilers say hello
In South Korea, Niki dreams of Mrs. B's
Greetings from Robin Westlake in the Land of Snot Icicles!
Awww - CJ hasn't been home in nine years!
Kathy and Jeff hope next year will be different
The Halls send greetings from the Guelph area
Laura's Christmas dinner was McCain Rising Crust Pizza
At New Year's, Duncan recalls last summer's Fremlin bash
Holidays on the beach
Shauna's gotta have her Muio's!
In Taipei, Marion misses her mom's turkey

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