COLORFUL star-shaped lanterns and strings of twinkling lights. Inspiring dawn Masses and spirited yuletide carols. A sumptuous Noche Buena and fancy gifts. Endless reunions with family and friends. This was how I have always defined the holiday season.

Then Christmas 2007 came along.

It was my ninth month as a development volunteer in Zambia, a landlocked country in southern Africa known mainly for its copper mines and the magnificent Victoria Falls. Although predominantly a Christian nation, Zambia does not have an extended and lavish celebration of Christmas.

In Mazabuka, the town where I am currently based, locals celebrate Christmas for a day or two, but not much differently from other occasions. They’d probably go to church, serve special meals or go on a drinking spree, but the exchange of gifts and greeting cards are limited to younger folk who have been exposed to Western customs and practices. A few households display Christmas trees and other holiday adornments, but these are more the exception than the rule.

Needless to say, my first Christmas in Zambia was bound to be different from the Pinoy holidays I had been used to. It was up to me to make sure that it was different in a good way.

Going home for Christmas wasn’t a luxury I could afford as a development worker, so I chose the next best thing: three weeks of exploring Tanzania, Zambia’s neighboring country, with my Dutch housemate. There we met up with a group of friends who would become a huge part of this chapter of our lives.

Our holiday adventure began on December 21, when we crossed the Zambian border and made our way to Dar-es-Salaam aboard an express train. For 48 hours in our small cabin, we thrilled to the sight of Africa’s changing landscape and magnificent animals: elephants, giraffes, zebras and antelopes in the wild. It was like going on an inexpensive safari! The experience certainly beats watching animated films about Rudolph and his cronies anytime.

Our first major stop was Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous island in Tanzania with a rich history and multi-cultural influences from the Arabs, Indians, Portuguese and the British—an idyllic haven that brings together the best from East and West. While predominantly a Muslim territory, Zanzibar is also a popular holiday destination for travelers from all over Europe and elsewhere in the world.

It was like a huge beach party out there, with the spirit of sharing enjoyed by people from all walks of life, race, religion and culture. Despite the absence of conventional holiday customs, it proved to be the perfect setting for our Christmas Eve celebration.

That, for me, was already a wondrous Christmas gift in itself. But like a child bestowed with an unexpected present, I was pleasantly surprised to find another gift unwrap itself before me. On Christmas Day, I found myself amon kababayans enjoying a feast prepared by a lovely Filipino family who has been residing in the island for some time now.

In true Pinoy fashion, we had our fill of lechon, pancit, and other culinary favorites from home. And what would a Filipino gathering be without an all-out videoke jamming session and non-stop drinking? Indeed, you can take the Filipino out of the Philippines, but you cannot take the Philippines out of the Filipino.

No gifts were exchanged that day—nothing material anyway. But being away from home and everything familiar for long stretches of time can make one appreciate similar blessings: like the presence of people, strangers even, who can speak your language, laugh at the same jokes, and bond with you over food and music.

As our holiday progressed, we discovered more of Zanzibar as well as other scenic places in Tanzania: the pristine white beaches and endless shoreline, the succulent seafood and exotic spices, coconut trees and a variety of tropical fruits. Old stone houses and ancient ruins. And always, a lot of feasting with fellow Filipinos met along the way. And beaches, beaches, beaches. For someone who had spent close to a year living in a landlocked country, being in an archipelago again felt like a huge treat.

I may have been continents away from the Philippines, but right there in the middle of a sweaty Tanzanian summer, I felt closer to home.
In fact, if I squint, the colorful patterns of kangas (the natives’ wrap-around fabric) on display in the streets look very much like the kaleidoscopic parols adorning the streets of Pampanga. The disco lights in Zanzibar’s seaside bars could easily stand in for Manila’s Christmas lights. Why, Zanzibar’s Forodhani Square, with its seafood market by the seaside, could have been Dumaguete’s Rizal Boulevard, and its ancient stone houses and narrow streets could easily have been Vigan.

Nothing beats the original, of course. No amount of new discoveries can change the fact that I miss all things familiar at home during the holiday season. This thought fills my mind as I plan the experience of another different Christmas this year.

This time, I’ll be traveling to Mozambique with my housemate. Along the way, I’ll probably cross paths again with strangers who may soon enough turn into newfound friends who will share the essence of Christmas with me. Definitely not a Pinoy Christmas, but it will have to do—for now.