Flying the Westmeath flag Down Under!

The Christmas of 2020 was the third since Áine Egan moved to Sydney, Australia, but it was her first one ever without her family.

Áine is a native of Kilbeggan, and a granddaughter of Nancy Slevin from Glasson. Her parents are Mary and Pádraig, and her brothers are Ciarán and Diarmuid.

Áine recently answered these questions for our 'Christmas Away From Home' feature in the Westmeath Independent.

* How did your move to Australia come about? What do you do there?

I moved to Sydney in 2017. It was a bit of a notion at the time, and I ran with it. I am a National Media and Marketing Specialist for a technology company.

* What was 2020 like for you?

It has been a strange year for the whole world, and my emotions have been on a rollercoaster ride.

The hope that this pandemic would pass quickly, and that I would make it back home for Christmas, was a little naïve in hindsight.

Knowing that you can't do something, I have found makes it harder. When you have a choice to jump on a last-minute flight home you have a sense of control and comfort, but when you don't know when the next flight will be, or when international travel will be okayed again, that makes it difficult to remain positive.

We are blessed to live in the time that we do, technologically, as I don't know how I would have made it through this year without Facetime and the ability to contact home at a moment's notice.

* What's the current situation with Covid-19 in Sydney (as of mid-December)?

We are very lucky here in Sydney, with case numbers low and life slowly getting back to some sort of normality. Shops, bars, and restaurants are busy and the Christmas hustle and bustle is definitely in the air.

I am lucky to have made some amazing friends here in Oz, and they have opened their family homes to me, so I will still have that family vibe.

* What are the main things you miss about Christmas in Ireland?

The obvious two are family and friends. I genuinely will miss the cold - this hot Christmas craic is just not okay! I will miss my Mam’s cooking, and my Dad’s cocktails, and hugs from my Granny. Just the family time.

For me, Christmas is the time of year I come home, and I look forward to that now, more than ever, so this Christmas has been a little harder.

* Is there any message you would like to send to friends or family reading this?

To stay safe, and not to do anything I wouldn't do.