Two of my fellow students didn't follow the Christmas song "Driving home for Christmas" and dared to enjoy the new culture in a foreign country over the Christmas period. They didn't go home to their families and the typical Christmas traditions. Instead, courage and curiosity have given them a whole new Christmas.hyvää joulua!Marianne has been in Turku, Finland, for three months. Due to the long journey and the generally short Erasmus stay, she has decided to stay in Lapland during this contemplative time. She was already able to enjoy the pre-Christmas period there to the full: Open caroling in churches, pikkujoulu (Christmas parties) and drinking glögi with gingerbread are typical.On the one hand, it is Marianne's first Christmas without family. Naturally, this brings with it an uneasy feeling. But Lapland is also a land of longing for Marianne. Understandably, she is really looking forward to spending Christmas and New Year's Eve in Lapland - the home of Santa Claus.linksmų Kalėdų![caption id="attachment_361" align="alignright" width="300"] View of the Christmas Day walk in Vilnius[/caption]Maria, who is spending her Erasmus semester in Gdansk herself, had the idea back in November to spend Christmas in Vilnius with Christina, also a culture and management student at the HSZG. One reason for this was that it was Christina's birthday at Christmas and they wanted to celebrate together, and Maria had also set herself the bold goal of seeing all the European capitals by her 30th birthday.[caption id="attachment_362" align="alignright" width="225"] Let's go on a Christmas adventure in Vilnius![/caption]After a slightly delayed arrival thanks to a Polish bus driver who was unfamiliar with the area, they spent Christmas Eve in much the same way as in Germany: cooking, feasting, sitting together in a cozy atmosphere and then rounding off this special day with Spanish-Belgian-German swearing in various card game battles. No homesickness, no pain of separation, no "I wish I'd gone home". For them, it is incredibly interesting to discover the differences between the customs of the host country and their own homeland. Doing things that you have never done before and probably never will again (Catholic Christmas mass in a church decorated with straw and live animals in Lithuanian) and ultimately realizing that you will never forget this Christmas because it is unlike anything you have ever experienced before. Thank you Marianne and Maria for your short reports. Supported by: