Going down on Christmas

Josh Hamilton

Having gone ¾ of the trip without sickness -  I could say I was feeling slightly confident that I wasn't going to get sick. Maybe that is what got me. I had tricked myself into the state of 'over-confidence' - I had let that get the best of me. Unfortunately, my day for being sick was Christmas.

Throwing up on the train and throwing up outside the front steps of our hotel, on Christmas, was not something worth celebrating. I was not to leave the hotel for the rest of the day.

This was tough. I felt divorced from the groups Christmas cheers and celebrations, I was kept in a solitary confinement whilst the group was seeing the economic capital of India, and I was sick to my stomach whereas the group was eating from the best restaurants in the city.

Why did this have such an impact on me?

This is because I have become accustomed to Christmas' around other people – and as I knew the sacrifice I was making to miss Christmas with my Family back in New Zealand, it was tough to not be able to spend it with the Men I have come to India with. I could feel their positive vibes later that night, and from that, I could only imagine the experiences they had had on this day.

I would be missing out on different lifetime memories. Every day we are meeting new people and experiencing new parts of a city. That day I missed out some exciting rugby matches with the Mumbai Magicians – where competitiveness always brings people closer together, regardless if they have met or not. The opportunity to further connect with my mates, or get to know some awesome new people from Mumbai, or even play a bit of rugby from time to time was irritating.

The day had come to an end and I was just happy to be able to join in the night's happiness where we did the traditional Secret Santa. Thankfully, I was lucky to have a speedy recovery which saw me eating well and back out with the group the next morning.

Merry Christmas, and have a great few days leading up to the New Year!