My Winter Break- Part II

Welcome back! Last week I talked about celebrating Thanksgiving for the first time, traveling the Twin Cities, and working in the Mail Office. Today, I talk about celebrating the holidays, making new friends, and starting a new term!

Becoming a mentor

Project Friendship is one of the oldest partnerships between the College and the Northfield community. I loved the idea of being a role model and friend to a local child, so I signed up as soon as I came to campus. It took several months for them to find the perfect match for me, but when they did it took me no time to realize it was worth the wait. Zoe, my mentee, is a smart, creative, and clever 8-year-old, and we have quickly become good friends. She is always the highlight of my week, and I am excited to grow with her!

My first white Christmas! (Well… sort of)

Although this was not my first time spending the holidays away from home, it was my first time spending them in a cold climate, and I couldn’t have been more excited! Unfortunately, we did not get snowfall on Christmas day. Still, the day was a blast.

On Christmas Eve, my friends and I exchanged Christmas presents (for most of them, this was their first time!) and then had a fantastic dinner at Dacie Moses, hosted by the iconic Julia (Dacie’s House Coordinator) and her adorable dogs. The next day, Julia kindly drove us uptown to watch the flamboyant Christmas decorations of a local farm, and then some friends and I had dinner at a Chinese buffet in town. We finished off the party by hosting a movie night of the classic It’s a Wonderful Life.

Even if the celebration was smaller than what I am used to back home, I am still glad that I got to spend time with the people I care about, make some new friends, and bid 2021 goodbye!

Starting the new year with some unexpected inconveniences

Unfortunately, just before New Year’s Eve, my friends and I, alongside many other break residents, came down with COVID. While thankfully no one had severe symptoms, we were still put in quarantine and had to spend the New Year and the first days of classes in isolation.

This was not the way any of us expected to kick off the new term, but we made the most of it! I rewatched Gravity Falls with a friend, caught up with some shows, and another friend finally finished his programming project. As a result, getting back into the community after testing negative was a lot more satisfying.

Now, a couple of weeks into the term, I am able to look back and realize what an amazing break I had. I hope 2022 brings more joyful moments for us all!

Fátima strives to learn everything about everything, but is especially interested in Sociology/Anthropology, Psychology, and Disney! As a freshman, she can’t wait to introduce her peers to her native Guatemalan culture, put in practice her newly acquired ASL skills, and play in the snow for the first time. In her free time, Fátima can be found watching cartoons, poorly playing the ukulele, or desperately missing her dog, Cosmo. Meet the other bloggers!