Spending the holidays in a new country can be a bit daunting for anyone. And for Claudia from Germany, there was an extra twist:
When I decided to become an au pair with Au Pair in America, I knew that Christmas would be different from the usual Christmas at home in Germany. I was aware of the fact that I would celebrate this holiday with another family in another city in another culture. But what I did not expect was the surprise that my wonderful host family told me after we had matched.
My host dad texted me that he needed my passport information so that he could book a flight to Puerto Rico over Christmas and New Year’s because we would go on a cruise to the Caribbean. I was overwhelmed! Going to the Caribbean? For Christmas? Unbelievable! A thousand questions were coming into my mind: Will this be like Christmas at home? Will we have a palm tree instead of a Christmas tree? Will we sing Christmas songs? Will we bring all our presents on the cruise? Will I have this special Christmas feeling although it is warm and sunny instead of cold and dark outside? It was something new and exciting for me and I could not imagine what this Christmas would be like. My only solution – ask my host dad. He wasn’t sure either because it would be the first time for all of us celebrating Christmas at sea!
How did it go celebrating Christmas in the Caribbean?
On the 19th of December we flew to Puerto Rico – away from cold Chicago to the warm Caribbean. I was so excited! We saw many different islands like Saint Kitts and Grenada and did a few excursions like zip lining, river tubing and snorkeling. I woke up on December 25th and realized that I would get the answer to all my questions on that day. In the morning we got one present each because you can’t carry all the presents in your suitcase, and we had a regular breakfast. After that we waited for Santa Claus in a room – he made it all the way to our cruise ship in the Caribbean and all the kids were really excited. We watched a live recording of how he got on the ship: through security, in the elevator, getting a short haircut in the salon and then finally he arrived in the room! We then did a big parade on the ship. Everyone was following Santa Claus, and singing Christmas songs until we stopped in the lounge where every single child got a present.
In the afternoon we spent our time at the ship’s pool listening to Christmas songs and enjoying the sun. I also went to Mass because on every ship there is a pastor. In the evening we had a really nice and delicious dinner. Before we went to bed my host dad said: “I guess this is how you celebrate Christmas on a cruise, Claudia.”
For me, it was a great experience that I will never forget. I had a good time with my host family, no homesickness at all, and felt really grateful and peaceful. I think this is the meaning of Christmas: It is not important where you celebrate Christmas. It means a lot more who is celebrating with you and that you feel that you are a part of something, a part of togetherness. I am a part of my host family and that is significant for me!