It can be hard for expats to observe their culture and traditions during this festive season. Amid lockdowns and health restrictions, many of you haven't been able to travel back home and spend the holidays with your families. So if you're having the blues of your home country, here are some tips for keeping your traditions and culture alive, though virtual.
Stay connected with your loved ones
Today, communication tools like Zoom, Hangouts, Whatsapp, etc., are an integral part of our everyday life. With lockdowns and travel restrictions in many countries, you probably haven't been able to return to your country and spend the holiday season with your family. Luckily, in these COVID times, you can still get together online. Consider a virtual afterwork or a New Year's Eve dinner. Find a time slot that works for everyone. Seize the opportunity to prepare the traditional meals that you are used to in your home country, even if some ingredients are missing. Obviously, you will envy them for having the traditional roast turkey or your favourite dishes while you're away. To compensate, you can also help them discover your host country's traditional dishes by looking up some local recipes on the Internet.
Reconnect with your culture
As the year is coming to an end, it's the perfect time to reconnect with your own culture. Expats usually spend months exploring and trying to assimilate the culture of their host country. This is one of the essential steps to thriving abroad as an expat. But what about your own culture? You might not have had the chance to think about it in the past few months. So if you're locked down, or you're bound by travel restrictions, make the most of your free time by exploring your own culture. What traditions are usually followed in your home country on New Year's Eve? Are there any particular rituals? If your family is attached to certain customs, try to incorporate them into your expat life. And if you feel uncomfortable doing it alone, the Internet is your best friend. You can either do your own research web or ask your family about them.
Join an expat community
Expats are usually advised to bond with locals for better integration. This particularly helps in learning new cultures and languages abroad. But you're very likely to have the blues of your home country's culture and traditions if you're alone abroad during this festive season. It could be that you're not ready to embrace your host country's culture. So being close to the expat community in your host country can help. But how do you find them? There are a lot of expat groups of different nationalities on the social media, so it won't be hard to find them in your host country. Also, consider joining online platforms like Expat.com. Find out whether these expats communities have planned any meetups for the holidays, in compliance with health regulations, of course. If not, they could be planning activities such as virtual dinners or events. Keep an eye out and make sure you don't miss out on anything that could help you feel at home during this uncommon period.
Share your culture and traditions
As an expat, you're probably keener on learning about your host country's culture and traditions and trying to integrate them into your daily life. But have you ever thought about sharing your own culture with the people around you? Your friends, coworkers, and even neighbours might want to know how you used to celebrate New Year's Eve back home. If there are any particular meals that you used to prepare or customs that you used to observe, feel free to tell them about it. Sharing is a great way to show your interest in the people around you. Remember to take photos and make videos that you can share with your family and friends on social media.
Register for online events
If your host country or your home country are still locked down, chances are that the New Year's Eve events will go virtual. So it can be a great way to live those great moments, like fireworks or other shows, whilst you're abroad. If not, there are plenty of alternatives, like signing up for themed virtual events. There are events going on every day, as we mentioned in the article you about it in our article Popular online events to look out for Christmas and New Year's Eve. You can create your own virtual events and invite your friends and family so that you can observe the New Year traditions together.
