By KAREN MUNDY
The Press-News
Catalina Adrian Parra, 17 years old of Santiago, Chile, will experience her first Christmas in the United States.
Catalina is an exchange student living with the Tom and Deb Dsyle Family of East Canton. She arrived in the states in August and will spend her senior year of school in the village, which is much smaller than the huge city she lives in with her mom and dad and twin sister.
"Our population is...$6 million," she said. "Here (East Canton) is very different."
Although the size of the area is quite different, Catalina said Chilie's customs at Christmas are similar to what she is seeing in the U.S. "Santa" visit the children on Christmas Eve in Chile, and because not many people have chimneys, due to the warm weather, Santa is known to "come through the window."
Catalina's family is of the Catholic faith, so attending midnight Mass is also a part of their tradition. They also have their main meal, which always includes chicken, turkey and salad, on Christmas Eve, when gifts are also exchanged around the decorated tree.
Outside lights, she reported, are not seen as much in Chile, but the insides of the homes are decorated.
Catalina said New Year's Eve is a bigger holiday in her country than Christmas. The family has a party and "really big dinner" to celebrate.
Of course, she said she will miss her family the most during this Christmas. Catalina's identical twin sister, Constanza, is also an exchange student, but is in New York. The two do not expect to see each other while here. Their parents are back in Chile, where dad is an engineer and mom is a principal at a school.
Catalina, who is active in debate and Interact in Chile, is in the states through Rotary International. She also takes classes at the university in Santiago, and upon her return home, would like to continue studying sociology.
"I like the culture here," said Catalina. "It is important that I learn English.
Since arriving, Catalina and other exchange students traveled to Washington, D.C., and she was amazed at the city and the monuments. "I liked visiting the monuments like Washington's and Lincoln's," she added.
Although the weather in Ohio is much colder than the milder temperatures in Chile (especially at Christmas, since it is summer there for the holiday), this is not the first time she has seen snow. Catalina experienced snow in the mountain areas of her country. However, probably not as long or as much as she may experience this winter in Ohio.
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