Cultural Encounters:
From the Sand to the Snow

January 11, 2007

Winter Break

I had a wonderful break. I spent Christmas with Mrs. Martha, a lady from Peru, and her friends. For the first time I saw an upside down Christmas tree and I really liked it. After dinner we sat down in the living room and started to sing Christmas songs. Nikolas did a very good job singing; he was in a choir in high school so he was the only one that could actually sing. I had a good time.

Three days later Nikolas and I went to Texas to visit his family. We arrived in Houston and his father picked us up. The flight was not that bad because I was so tired and therefore slept all the way. Generally, when I go to airports I start to feel sick to my stomach and very nauseous and I know it is 100% psychological but I cannot control it. I hate to fly, yet I want to live in different countries. I know that does not make much sense but I cannot help it.

The day that we landed in Houston was the day that his mother’s side celebrated Christmas. I played that game where each person brings a present and if you like someone else’s present you can take it, but if it was already taken three times, you are out of luck because it cannot be stolen anymore. I took a huge flashlight but someone took it from me, then I chose a present from the middle. Nikolas got a pizza tray to cook pizza but his sister took it from him, so I asked him to take some Mary Kay products for me, which he did. After that when it was his aunt’s turn she took my gift and I went there and took the pizza tray from his sister. That was fun. We ended up with what we wanted.

While I was in Texas I also visited my host family that I stayed with when I was an exchange student in high school. She had another baby two years ago, Blake, since I did not go there last year, because my mother came to spend time with me here, I did not have a chance to meet him before now.