DC | Internationals tell...

The December Calendar features several international students talking about December in their home countries. Read their stories here.

3 December | Meet Josh

Tell us a little bit about yourself! 
My name is Josh, I am 24 years old, and I’m from Westport, Connecticut. I’m doing my Masters here in Utrecht, Bio Inspired Innovation. It’s been a good experience so far! I get to meet people from all over the world. I really like it here; I love how easy it is to get around by bike. I used to commute by bike in Boston, but that was crazy and quite dangerous. I’m trying to learn Dutch but it’s not easy! Last week I practiced by ordering oliebollen in Dutch, that went quite well. 

What is December like in your home country/home town? Anything funny or special? Any traditions? 
I’m Jewish, so we don’t celebrate Christmas. We celebrate Chanoeka. This is a celebration of 8 days, and the exact timing differs each year. We usually meet up with family, sings songs together, and give each other small presents. On Christmas eve, it’s tradition in our family to go to NYC and go to a Chinese restaurant and a movie. It is a long tradition: my grandmother would do this from a young age, because the Chinese restaurants and movie theaters were the only places that were open. 

When I was in high school, I was part of this choir and we would get hired to sing Christmas Carols. We would get a huge booklet in the fall and had to study an enormous number of songs. Our running gag was: when December came, the conductor would own us. We performed every weekend and I still know all the songs by heart. 

Our theme is new beginnings. What would you wish for yourself and your fellow students, for the next year? 
The fall has been extremely busy for me and my fellow students. So, I hope for everybody that we are able to take a little time off, maybe travel a bit. I would love that for next year! Also, I’d like to settle in some more here and work on my Dutch. I’ve joined Dekoor Close Harmony, which has been great – meeting not only other internationals but Dutch people as well! It’s an enriching experience.

10 December | Meet Carla

Tell us a little bit about yourself! 
My name is Carla, I am 24 years old and I’m from France. My study is a RMA in Musicology. I love what I’m doing, I am very passionate about music. I started doing music when I was 5 years old, so I’ve been doing it for a long time. Before I came to Utrecht, I was in Florida. I did my Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance there. When covid came, I decided I wanted to spend more time on research. Musicology was my answer – I could do research and perform, but without the stress. I came to Utrecht because the program is one of the best in Europe. And I don’t regret it! I play the bassoon and I’m a singer as well. I listen to a lot of different things, but my research is mainly about classical vocal music. I also pair my research with gender studies and some type of politics and activism, because I’m really interested in that part of classical music. There is a lot more there than you would think.  

What is December like in your home town? Anything funny or special? Any traditions? 
I’m from a small town near Nice. I haven’t been home in 6 years, I was living in Miami for the last years. There’s no Christmas trees there, because it’s too hot. So what they do, is they decorate the palm trees. But it’s very festive! They also have contest about who has the best decorated house.  

With my family, we used to go back and forth between Florida and France. What we’ve been doing is go somewhere together for the holidays. It’s just the four of us, we don’t have any other family. We’ve been to New York, we went to Amsterdam, London, Munich, we did a road trip through some American states. Because of Christmas, we would give each other small gifts. But the biggest present is for sure spending the time together. I would love to keep this tradition, when I have a family of my own. This year, we’re going skiing in Valberg, about three hours away from my hometown and it’s a childhood spot for me. We’re going back after 10 years, and I’m really excited about it.  

Our theme is new beginnings. What would you wish for yourself and your fellow students, for the next year? 
I would say: I would love to just carry on and not get too stressed. I’m starting my thesis in January, so that’s going to be a new adventure for me. I am excited and scared at the same time. And I’ll make time for my music as well. The Opera (The Prison by Dame Ethel Smyth) that I’m writing my thesis about is premiering in May for the first time ever, so that’s going to be interesting.

17 December | Meet Santi

Tell us a little bit about yourself! 
My name is Santi, I am 22 years old and I’m from Galicia. It’s a region in the Northwest of Spain, very close to Portugal. In Spain, every region has a very specific culture and identity. In the case of Galicia, you could say it’s kind of like what Flanders is to Holland. We speak Galician, which is like a dialect of Portuguese. I came to Utrecht to do my masters in Musicology. I studied Piano in Spain and I wanted to develop myself further in music. I really like Utrecht! I was lucky to find a place with a friend, so I’m living here now and I hope to stay after my studies, because there are a lot of music and job opportunities here. 

What is December like in your home country/home town? Anything funny or special? Any traditions or weird family/friend stuff? 
In my hometown, Christmas is a big thing. I’m originally from Vigo. The major is very passionate about the holiday, so the city spends a lot of money on the lights, decorations and trees. He’s competitive about it, so it is very extra every year. It’s actually really good for tourism and the people in Vigo. Visitors come from all over – it’s a real Christmas town!  

In Spain, the December traditions are a bit different than here in Holland. Some families give their kids gifts on the 25th, but Three Kings’ Day (on January the 6th) is actually just as big. Usually there is a big parade on the day before, and people throw candy to the kids who are watching the carts go by. It’s also another opportunity for lots of gifts. And then there’s the tradition of the round cake, the Rosca de Reyes or Ring of Kings. A small figurine gets hidden in the cake, and whoever finds it gets a crown! It’s a little bit like Sinterklaas here: a more traditional local holiday. But I guess with globalization, Christmas is getting a little bit bigger now.  

Our theme is new beginnings. What would you wish for yourself and your fellow students, for the next year? 
For me, I wish for stability in general. I would like to enter a new year where I have the time and energy to experience a lot of new things. I’d love to find my way now and after graduating, meet people, and keep working on my music. And for everyone else: stability, mental health and friendship. 

24 December | Meet Sasha

Tell us a little bit about yourself!  
My name is Sasha, and I am 20 years old. I am half Polish and half British, but I lived my whole life in Polen, in a tiny place near Germany. I came here because I really wanted to study abroad. Because we’re in the EU, it’s pretty well organized and possible to do so. I am studying Biology, and I’m really interested in Genetics. Utrecht is great for that subject, there are a lot of great institutes and interesting people in this field. I didn’t really know a lot about Utrecht, except for the canals and the bikes. When I travel, I try not to google the place beforehand. That way, I can keep an open mind. But it turned out great! People are open here to internationals, and people speak English very well. So it has been easy to call it my home.  

What is December like in your home country/home town? Anything funny or special? Any traditions or weird family/friend stuff? 
When I first moved here, I was surprised how insignificant the festivities are here. People don’t really go home for Easter, and Christmas is only about 2 days with family. In Poland, Christmas is huge! We celebrate over a long period and always visit our entire family. Everyone spends a lot of time buying gifts and people travel hours and hours to see everyone in their family. I do miss that a bit. I love those huge festivities, and how important they are. In Poland, we also have a lot more traditions. For example - up until 1989, because of communism, it was almost impossible to get oranges. Only once a year, a boat would come from Spain and it was possible to buy some. Now, we can just go to the store and buy them. So it became a symbol for the opportunities and access that we have now. Every year still, my grandma tells the story about the scarcity of oranges back in the days. 

Our theme is new beginnings. What would you wish for yourself and your fellow students, for the next year?  
I wish for more peace. I wish for a slower, peaceful life. University life can be quite disruptive. It’s a lot, with all the classes, changes in schedule, lack of sleep because of studying, difficult tests and assignments... The last two years of course have had a big impact as well because of covid. And there is the actual war that is going on right now. So peace would be my biggest wish: calm and quiet.