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Christmas lights, skiing and Tim Hortons
As Principia College students, we have the unique opportunity of interacting with people from all over the world. Learning about traditions and holidays outside of the United States helps us to gain a better understanding of our peers’ cultures and customs.
The holiday season gives everyone a chance to go home, see family, catch up with old friends, and take a well-deserved break from school. However, with five weeks of free time, many students prefer to adventure.
This is true for one freshman in particular.
Ameline Fauchon is an international student from Munich Germany. She will begin her winter break in Buffalo, New York, where she plans to stay with a close long-time friend through the Christmas and New Year holidays. Her three weeks in Upstate New York will give her a chance to enjoy Christmas lights, drink hot chocolate, and bake pastries with her good friend and her friend’s family. This will be her first Christmas spent in America. “I cannot wait to make the most of this opportunity,” Fauchon said.
After New Year’s, Fauchon will be boarding a two hour bus ride to Toronto, Canada, where she will visit her freshman friend, Marie Sherman.
Sherman is excited to explore Canada with Fauchon in the few days they have together. The girls plan to make the most of their time in Toronto by getting a glimpse of life in the city, partaking in Canadian traditions, and trying the country’s different foods. One of which will be poutine – a famous Canadian dish that consists of French fries, cheese curds, and light brown gravy. The two also plan to stop at Tim Hortons for coffee and doughnuts.
Once her travels in Canada conclude, Fauchon will fly to Munich where her family will be waiting for her. Back home she is looking forward to skiing, shopping at her favorite German stores, and catching up with her best friends from high school. Fauchon is also excited to spend some quality time with her two younger sisters and grandmother. She cannot wait to eat her grandma’s delicious apfelstrudel – a German pastry similar to apple pie.
“I’m excited to see [my] family again and to be on familiar grounds,” Fauchon said. “Going back to the place I spent 18 years of my life [in] will be comforting. I’m really looking forward to it.”