International students incorporate own traditions while celebrating holidays in U.S.
It was New Year’s Day in Germany at 6 p.m., Friday Dec. 31, and Verena Locher became a little teary-eyed among her family members.
The Germany senior is accustomed to celebrating New Year’s back home, where she would watch fireworks shoot into the sky at midnight and follow throngs of people out onto the streets to celebrate another dwindling year with her sister.
But this year was different. Locher stayed with her American husband and his family in Mesick, a little town between Cadillac and Traverse City.
“I kind of missed the fireworks,” Locher said. “Because here, it doesn’t seem like it matters too much. I guess not in a bad way ... in Germany everyone goes out, you hear people screaming. The fireworks ... make it (a lot) more special.”
Locher was one of many international students who celebrated the holidays in the U.S. in their own way.
Joan Schmidt, associate director of Residence Life, said the majority of international students live in the university apartments — Kewadin Village, Northwest Apartments or Washington Court — over break.
There is no record of the number of international students who have traveled after the semester break or for how many stayed in residence halls.
Schmidt said Saxe, Herrig and Celani halls are open during the campus breaks to assist international students who do not have a place to go during those periods.
“They may come and go as they choose,” she said.
China freshman San Wu stayed in Herrig during break. She said she liked the experience of celebrating the holidays in the U.S. with a few close friends.
“It was quiet during the break (and) normal,” Wu said. “We celebrated our own traditions. During Christmas, I went to California, but stayed in Herrig during New Years.”
Wu said she felt some differences between American and some Chinese cultures, but there are a lot of similarities.
“We usually get family together and have big meals and we watch television,” Wu said.
