Make friends and celebrate your holiday

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: FSU PUBLICATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

Who are you going to spend your next holiday with? For some international students, they’ll probably spend theirs away from family. Is that sad? It can be, or not. When you decide to move to another country, you leave a piece of yourself in your country of origin. However, you can, in a new country, fill this space.

Studying online can be a weakness due to a lack of opportunities to make friends in person. Besides, we are still living in a pandemic. But with the necessary measures, we can adapt to this scenario. Recently, the Fanshawe Student Union (FSU) encouraged students to participate in events organized by them and strengthen new relationships among students.

“Friends are the family you choose,” has never made more sense than it does for me right now. I arrived in Canada recently, and Thanksgiving was my first holiday here. I have been lucky to have a couple of friends living close to me and in the same situation (new city, new routine, new calendar). We stayed together for Thanksgiving and appreciated this current phase in our lives. We didn’t have a turkey, but we bought a pumpkin pie (classic!).

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The next holiday is Christmas. In Brazil, for instance, there is a social rule around this time: you must spend the date together with your family. Why? It is one of the most respected holidays in the country, especially because half of Brazilians are Catholics, according to research last year by Datafolha. Also, it is a date that Brazilian people can get together with their whole families, from grandmother to distant aunts.

However, this “perfect” moment with family sometimes does not exist for reasons such as distance or personal problems, and that is OK. We need to stop condemning people who decide to pass these dates alone or with friends instead of family. The important thing is to stay well and to be with people who want to be together.

Alone or accompanied, holidays are moments to reflect on our lives. Making (new) friends can be a challenging objective. Culturally, people share different manners when it comes to making first contact and starting a conversation. We need to respect these differences, but not be afraid. With care, you can do it.

To begin, why not invite a classmate you know who is staying alone in Canada to celebrate a holiday with you? Firstly, you can learn more about another culture. Fanshawe receives more than 6,500 international students from more than 100 countries.

Secondly, this can be the opening of a new friendship. You can share your celebrations, tastes, and thoughts. It’s the first step to presenting yourself better and probably making your classmate feel more comfortable.

Making friends can be a personal challenge for the majority of students. Nonetheless, when you make a friend, you will gain a treasure. Friends are people who choose to stay with us in different situations. You can share your concerns and achievements. With family close or not, holidays are an amazing opportunity to celebrate with people you love.