Not too long ago, I wrote about classic rockers who were immigrants. That post was all about the classic rockers. I don’t like talking too much about myself on my Diversity of Classic Rock posts because it’s all about the classic rockers. “Who me? I’m just a worm,” to quote Labyrinth. I felt like writing a Christmas related post this year because I haven’t been feeling the best emotionally. 2016 has been one crazy, rollercoaster of a year. It’s been a sad year politically with Brexit and Donald Trump. A sad year in classic rock history because of the loss of so many classic rock legends.
Has the year been only bad? No, of course not. For me, it’s been good. I have moved back in with my boyfriend. I got to travel a bit, not as much as last year, but still I got to go to New York and Los Angeles and hang out with some really cool friends. I made some great friends in my Journalism Masters and learnt so much from them. I have learnt so much more about classic rock. I also have been writing a good bit about things that aren’t classic rock. My hair has grown a good bit from a bit past shoulder length to chest length. Here’s to it being waist length in the new year! Okay, maybe it’s a stretch to expect my hair to grow that much, but I can dream.
Let’s get on to the real topic of the blog since I always end up rambling. Living overseas, so far away from family isn’t easy. I miss a lot of things. I miss my family. I miss my mum’s cooking. I know I can’t just wake up, get out of bed and say good morning to my parents. At least not without looking stupid. I am far away from pretty much everyone in my family. I miss all the holiday celebrations and the road trips. I have no idea when I’ll visit again.
When I left America, I realised there was so much I took for granted. At first I was so confused as to why my classmates would want to move to America.
It took coming back to visit for me to realise the great things about this country. I miss going on adventures to Super Target. I miss the giant shopping malls. I miss the variety of shops. I miss the big cities, each with their unique flavour and architecture. I miss the variety of cuisines. I love how there are more vegan options. I miss the road trips I used to go on as a kid. California by far is my favourite state, I love its friendliness and variety of landscapes from beaches to mountains to deserts.
I don’t miss some things. In some ways America is so robotic, as my boyfriend put it when he visited last year. The police are intimidating. Donald Trump will be a nightmare. Things are pretty expensive in America. And while we are talking about money… why the hell don’t shops include tax in prices?
I am very grateful I got to spend the holidays with my family. I had a lot of really good food. My family are great, very supportive, funny, and people I can trust. I was watching a video of my uncle speaking about my grandparents and paraphrasing what he said, they taught us to be open minded, be ourselves, love learning about the world around us, and taught us that it’s okay to ask questions. They are charitable. They are caring.
Thinking about Christmas… I get less and less excited for Christmas. When I was a kid, I loved it. It meant playing in the snow, being away from school, getting presents, eating good food, hot chocolate, and spending time with family. It gets tired after a while. I am tired of the music. I am tired of the cold weather (I need to move to the Southern Hemisphere). I am tired of the sun setting early. I am tired of the crowds everywhere. It’s the same thing every year I guess. I’m tired of the same routine. Maybe when I have the money I’ll make it a point to travel every Christmas. Travelling is something that never gets old and there’s so much of the world I haven’t seen yet.
The music is something I get tired of, but I will share with you a few classic rock Christmas songs. Even I like these songs and I really can’t stand Christmas music. I think I hate Christmas music more than I hate the song “Hotel California”. Enjoy!
The Diversity of Classic Rock 