Finally, after what seemed like forever, we are in now in the midst of the winter season. Hanoi has followed suit with most of the world and become (relatively) cold. It’s time to visit friends and family, time to visit places you haven’t seen before, or even go back to places you have been! Time to whip out the hot drinks and the thick blankets and clothes that you only take out once a year. This is all assuming of course, that you don’t live in Australia or a country with extreme fluctuation in weather (a.k.a. Hanoi). Either way, winter break is an interesting time for most people. With a variety of nationalities in our school, I thought it would be interesting to ask students and teachers at UNIS about where they are going and what they are doing this Winter break.

Australia: Most people going to Australia are going to avoid Winter, as it is summer in Australia at the moment. Most people are going to Australia in order to surf and enjoy the warm weather and beaches.

Malaysia: Malaysia is more like one of those places that you can go all year long. The main thing to do in Malaysia is see the sights Kuala Lumpur and go shopping.

Thailand: Thailand is similar to Malaysia in that it is more of a place where a lot of student go shopping, and can be visited all year round.

India: India, from the responses, is a country where you go to see the culture. It has a large amount of landmarks, and it is home of many people’s favorite foods.

USA: Most of the students I spoke with who are going to the USA have family there, or have lived there before, and so are going to USA to visit their family and friends for Christmas. USA is also one of the places students can go to enjoy some snow.

Korea: Activities grade 10 students are doing in Korea include visiting family and friends, and the best thing to be doing over the break, studying! Due to the more strict and intense education of Korean academies, a lot of Korean students are going to Korea in order to get ahead in school.

Philippines: The most common response for the question “Why are you going to the Philippines this winter?” was just one word, “food.”

Europe: The assortment of countries in Europe that the UNIS students visit during winter is vast. From Italy to Switzerland to the UK, students are seeing sights, visiting family, shopping, and even enjoying the occasional snow day in Europe.

Staying in Hanoi: And of course there are those who, whether it be because they have no foreign family members, wish to stay home and catch up on school work and video games, or take smaller trips within the country, are staying in Hanoi during break.

As you can see, the diverse student body of UNIS is planning on undertaking an equally diverse series of activities during our winter vacation, visiting different people, visiting different people, and enjoying different traditions. Whether you are a student (or staff!) who is having a traveling or doing schoolwork for the holiday, hopefully you have an enjoyable, relaxed break. Happy holidays!