Eighteen in ASIA? Christmas in Paradise?

This past week held many big events. Yes, I'm happy to say that last Wednesday, the 21st, I turned 18 years old. The general public would normally ask,

My third and fourth graders through me a birthday party,
 two weeks premature...
It's the thought that counts.

"Does it feel any different?"
Well, of course not. It hasn't really even sunken in. It has, however, come in handy when my dad told me that I was grounded for not answering his skype call. I told him that I'm an adult now and I don't have to listen to him anymore(yeah right) at which point in time, he cracked up. What can I say? I'm "daddy's little girl" for life.
Unfortunately, I was sick in bed on my birthday. I was hit with a strand of the stomach flu which came complete with a pounding,disabling headache. I was however, able to go into school for a bit in the afternoon, and I was suprised with everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to me. The rest of the day, I spent parked on my couch with my roomie...its all I had energy for.

This party came complete with cake, ice cream,
and drinkable yogurt.

Fast forward four days and we have Christmas! Coming into this trip, I knew the hardest, most lonely times I would have would be around the holidays so I told myself that I would try to ignore them(here and afar) as much as I possibly could. I actually told myself that I was going to deactivate my facebook for a week so I didn't have to see everyone's merry Christmas posts.Well, they say hindsight is 20/20, and that rings true in this instance.
I did NOT stop using facebook, and I actually found it comforting to see everyone posting about Christmas, and what they gave and received and their thankfulness to God for sending His son. Watching Christmas unfold from a distance got me thinking.

They're the sweetest<3

With the absence if the normal hustle and bustle of the holiday season and of course, my family and close friends, I had to wonder if most of what makes Christmas "Christmas" to me are the temporary trappings of this world, rather than the sweet little babe who was sent to save us all. I've yet to come up with a definite answer, but I re-learned this year, that it really doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing, Christmas is about a spirit of peace and joy, that is brought about with the realization that God so loved us that He sent his only son to die so that we could live. It's not about a holiday where people spend exponential amounts of money so that they can do the same exact thing next year, and its not even about all of the parties and get togethers with people that you love. I sure learned that from being 3,000 miles away.
So, did it feel like Christmas to me? In the way it feels at home, no. But in a way, I feel like I really experienced what Christmas is supposed to feel like. 
I wouldn't have chosen to spend my Christmas the way I did, or even in the place that I did, but I'm glad that for just this one time, I was able to take a step back and realize what Christmas is truly about.