For most students, the holiday season is the one time of year when everything feels familiar: family decorations come out of the garage, favorite foods reappear on the table, and traditions are plentiful. For foreign exchange students, the holidays are something completely different. They find themselves in the middle of new traditions, new foods, new jokes, new weather, and new families. While the whole experience can be exciting, it can also feel strange, overwhelming, and sometimes a little lonely.
This year, Marshfield High School had the opportunity to welcome four exchange students from throughout the world: Oskar Niehoff from Germany, Luca Borri from Italy, Toby Jost from Switzerland, and Cuddo Sanchez Conradi from Spain. These students have begun to experience what Americans refer to as the most wonderful time of the year–the holiday season.
Niehoff, a junior, was a part of the varsity boys soccer team. In Germany, not all holidays carry the same significance. Halloween, which is widely celebrated in the United States with elaborative decorations, widespread participation, and themed events are much smaller.
“At home, it’s mostly just little kids celebrating,” Niehoff explained. “It’s not very big, people rarely celebrate.”
Despite experiencing these differences, the holiday he was most curious about was one that he had never celebrated before–Thanksgiving. While Germany does not formally celebrate the holiday, he was invited to spend the day with a local friend
“ We’re going to Wiley’s house,” Niehoff said. “I’ve seen people celebrate Thanksgiving in movies, so I’m excited to see what it’s really like.”
For many exchange students, Thanksgiving becomes a memorable highlight because of its strong focus on gathering, food, and hospitality.
Food, of course, plays a major role in holiday traditions, and Niehoff shared several dishes from home that are especially meaningful. One of the most notable is Rouladen, a rolled beef dish filled with bacon, onions, and pickles, then slow cooked for several hours. Another dish is a traditional German side dish called Knödel, which is soft and gummy. While unfamiliar to many Americans, both dishes show the rich flavors that define many German celebrations.
“ We get a big Easter break about a week and a half,” Niehoff said.
Christmas break is also generous, lasting roughly two weeks, similar to the American spring break. The emphasis during both holidays is on spending time with family and enjoying long-standing traditions. Though he is far from home, Niehoff approaches each new tradition with interest and openness. His time in the United States is shaping a holiday experience he will likely remember long after his exchange year ends.
Jost is a sophomore this year, and was a part of the JV boys soccer team. In Switzerland, Jost said that Christmas is found to be simpler and much quieter, the biggest difference Jost found was the decorations.
“The lights are everywhere, in America you have so many colorful lights,” he said. “At home we only use warm, simple lights. People here celebrate much more.”
Back at home, Christmas is celebrated with his family, Jost explained, Christmas is usually celebrated with a calm and peaceful environment. His family gathers to set up a Christmas tree and decorates it with ornaments and later they gather around a table to open presents.
“After eating, we sit together around a table, spend time together and open presents,” Jost stated.
He also celebrated his first Thanksgiving, a holiday not celebrated in his home country. He remembers celebrating it by gathering and eating turkey, something he did not enjoy, but the celebration reminded him of Christmas.
Jost got to experience the differences of celebration during Thanksgiving and Christmas, but one of the best memories he will take home is homecoming at Marshfield High School.
Borri is an exchange student from Italy. Some of the traditions from his home country are similar to some in the U.S. His Christmas is usually spent at his uncle’s house for dinner, they mainly have traditional italian dishes like pastas and meat, and they usually open Christmas presents in the morning.
“I’ll usually go over to my uncle’s house and have dinner, and then we wake the next day and open Christmas presents under the tree,” he said.
Thanksgiving is not celebrated in his home country, so spending the holiday in the U.S. gave him an entirely new experience. This year he celebrated his first Thanksgiving with his host family at a place many kids dream of visiting–Disneyland.
“I went to Disneyland with my host family,” he said. “ We didn’t do anything really traditional, but we had turkey, so that counts.”
Even though Borri didn’t experience a traditional Thanksgiving, many of the memories he will take home include the environment and the people he surrounded himself with.
“I mean there’s a lot of stuff,” said Borri. “But mostly the environment, the people, and the experience.”
For Borri, the holiday season became a chance to see how another culture celebrates, while still having similar family traditions that make Chrtistmas feel like home.
Sophomore Cuddo Sanchez Conradi was also a part of the varsity boys soccer team. Some of the biggest holiday differences were the Thanksgiving celebrations. In Spain, some of the special dishes his family cooks for Thanksgiving include tortillas and empanadas. For Halloween he was surprised to see the big celebrations, as he does not celebrate Halloween in Spain.
