Blake Fisher Over winter break, Blake Fisher, sophomore environmental science major, spent most of his time with family and friends at home, playing in a bowling tournament and applying for internships for the summer. For Blake, home is in Lima, Ohio, where he got to spend a lot of time outdoors.
As part of the bowling team, Fisher got to travel to a tournament in the middle of December. “We went to Pennsylvania for a week for a tournament. It was good, we placed about where we wanted to as a team and had a couple of pretty good outings as well from individuals,” Fisher said.
Aside from the sport, the team participated in other fun activities during their trip as well. “We had a gingerbread house-making competition, which was very interesting. No one really knew it was happening, and we didn’t have a lot of experience; we had some really creative houses. It was fun but very chaotic!”
Felipe Mogollon
Felipe Mogollon, sophomore engineering physics major, spent his winter break back home in Bogotá, Colombia, with friends and family. He spent time both in the city and in the countryside celebrating the holidays with extended family. There was a new addition to the family this year, with his parents adopting a puppy.
He used this free time to engage in hobbies he didn’t have time for during the school year, like editing videos for his YouTube channel. “As an international student, when I go home, it’s about just being here with my family. Like, my dad took his vacation time from work so we could spend more time together. At one point, I got bored, I started running and learning to play some songs on the guitar, but mainly I was just staying home with my parents.”
Mogollon also had to have surgery over break, and while he spent a lot of time resting and recovering, he still enjoyed playing soccer, hanging out with hometown friends and even attending a concert of one of his favorite artists.
Ana Alves Machado
For her winter break, Ana Alves Machado, sophomore journalism major, got to spend her time relaxing with her host family. “I have two little host siblings, Joshua, who is 3, and Annie, who is 1, and this year, we got to spend a lot of time together. We watched a lot of movies and drank a lot of hot chocolate,” said Alves Machado.
Apart from time with her host family, Alves Machado also got to spend time by herself, resting and recharging for this semester. “I got to read some, since I love to read, and during the school year, I don’t get a lot of time.”
The holiday season was also full of time with friends and family. “For Christmas, I just stayed with my host grandma, and it’s usually pretty chill. For New Year’s Eve, I went to a friend’s house and saw the ball drop for the first time, a very anticlimactic experience to be honest, especially compared to our fireworks in Copacabana.
“Compared to what I would usually do with my family in Brazil, who usually have a lot of people on Christmas and get dressed up, it is kind of a culture shock.” However, despite the differences, Alves Machado still had a good time, saying, “Although I miss my family, I can appreciate both experiences.”
Evan O’Toole
Junior business major Evan O’Toole’s winter break started with a long plane ride home, seated next to a crying baby. From there, he landed in Ireland, where his phone wouldn’t work, and he had to search for his Uber driver with no technological assistance. “Eventually, I found this guy, by some grace of God,” said O’Toole. However, after this rocky start, things began to improve. “I go to Dublin, see my friends, had a great time. Went home the next day, met my family, we got a new cat — he’s a gorgeous little cat, but he doesn’t like me.”
While at home, O’Toole spent a lot of time with family that he doesn’t get to see often, and celebrating with old traditions. “I went to see my distant family for Christmas Eve. I get the same old adage every year, ‘How tall you’ve gotten! How handsome you are!’ It’s inescapable, I fear.
“There’s this tradition in Ireland, on the 23rd of December, it’s called the 12 pubs. You meet up with the boys early in the morning, have a little breakfast, and then the show begins. By the end of the day it’s very messy, but it was a great day.”
