Article December 22, 2008 Issue

LOVE'S RESCUE ON CHRISTMAS EVE

BY CAMILLE CARANDANG

The clock struck 12:00. "Merry Christmas, "I whispered to myself, feeling the warmth of the first teardrop trickling down my cheek. As I lay awake staring at the ceiling, the room's darkness mirrored, even magnified, how I was feeling inside. This would be my first Christmas away from home, and it was as if the holiday spirit had been knocked right out of me.

December marked the fourth month I'd been away from my home in the Philippines attending college in the United States. Although I'd been enjoying my new experience, the separation from family and friends hadn't always been easy. So my mom had suggested that I spend the holidays with distant relatives in California. "Great!" I thought at the time. "There's nothing better than spending my favorite time of year with people I've never even met before."

When I arrived, loneliness caused me to act with feigned delight as I mingled with my relatives for the first time.