Tess Adams:
What is your favorite thing about being in the United States during the Christmas season?
“My favourite thing about being in the United States during the Christmas season is witnessing the fervor and excitement that Americans all share for this holiday season.  Everybody and everything here seems to be in the Christmas spirit – from dedicated radio stations, Christmas television programs, and the very impressive Christmas lights that adorn house fronts everywhere.  New York City was so incredible to see at Christmas, with the Rockefeller Tree and the Rockettes Show leaving me with experiences I will never forget.  Whilst Australians adore Christmas as much as anyone else, I can’t say we really ‘get into’ the festive spirit nearly as much as Americans do, and it’s been lovely to be a part of that collective enthusiasm.”
What do you and your family do differently during the Christmas season in Australia?
“Contrastingly, my family and I experience a rather blisteringly hot holiday season, where it regularly reaches a sweltering forty-degree [centigrade] temperature on Christmas Day.  Instead of rugging up like Americans, we lounge about in flip-flops and summer dresses.  Christmas Day staples remain similar, with the traditional turkeys, hams, and pork featuring on every Australian Christmas table, but there’s also much more of an emphasis on fuss-free foods that can be whipped up with ease.  Our Christmases are definitely more low-key than the elaborate affairs that occur over here.  Everyone simply brings a makeshift platter of some kind and we all sit around a plastic table, swapping terrible cracker jokes and assorted treats.”
What do you like the most about America?
“I think what I like most about America is the immense largeness of everything!  Bigger stores, bigger meals, bigger theatres, bigger everything!  Things seem to be much more glamorous and luxurious here, which of course I can’t complain about.  I think I will struggle to go back to humble Australia after experiencing three-course meals every night and incredible venues wherever I go.  I have also loved how welcoming everyone has been, and how fascinating they have found my admittedly very bogan Australian accent.  At LAX [Los Angeles International Airport], a woman turned to Katherine and me and said ‘Wow, I just love your accent.  So beautiful, really.’  I’d never heard that before, and I am very grateful to that lady.”
Katherine Price:
What is your favorite thing about being in the United States during the Christmas Season?
“My favourite thing about being in the United States for Christmas is the way that it’s celebrated and all the decorations that are around.  People in the United States go more full out during Christmas time with their decorations and the way they celebrate it.  I also enjoy seeing the way that Americans celebrate Christmas compared to Australians.  I love having a different experience of seasons due to Christmas being in summer in Australia and here it is experienced in winter.
What do you and your family do differently during the Christmas season in Australia?
“My family and I celebrate Christmas by putting up the tree and decorations around the house.  However, over here it seems to be more highly celebrated because of the amount of decorations that are put up, even around the school.  Also, the school’s atmosphere is much different due to the way [Sacred Heart Greenwich’s] school year works, as they are still at school around the Christmas time.  However, compared to in Australia we are on our holiday.”
What do you like the most about America?
“The thing I like most about America is being able to experience a different culture and the way that another country celebrates and prepares for Christmas.  America has also been so much fun as I’ve been able to visit another sister school and compare it to what it’s like to Sacré Coeur.  I also love the atmosphere that exists in America due to the way everyone has Christmas lights and decorations up and that it’s winter here not summer so it snows here during Christmas time instead of being warm.”
The King Street Chronicle thanks Australian exchange students from Sacré Coeur School, Tess Adams ’19 and Katherine Price ’19, for their contributions to “Humans of Sacred Heart.”
Photo by Christine Guido, News Editor
– Compiled by Christine Guido, News Editor