by EMILY DUNN
Intern Lifestyles Reporter

Plane ticket to Frankfurt, Germany: $782, plane ticket to Aqaba, Jordan: $1,935, plane ticket to Heidelberg, Germany: $743, being home for the holidays: priceless.

To prepare for winter break, students pack up their clothes; throw suitcases and accessories in the car and head home or to an airport to fly stateside.

Sophomore political science major Amber F. Racey and her family spend time together in Jordan.

For others, winter break is a little more complicated.

These students must pack their bags, make sure all of their clothes are semi-clean, double check they have their passport in hand, and ready themselves for a very long flight home.

For students like Sarah J. Byrd, winter break is much more than a car ride home.

“Winter break is usually the first time I get to go home during the school year,” Byrd, senior advertising major, said.  “Fortunately winter break is about a month long, so I can spend quality time with my family.”

Byrd’s parents live in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Her father is in the military and has been stationed in Germany for two years.

“My winter break is very different than most students,” Byrd said. “It’s usually very emotional and surreal seeing my family since it’s been at least six months since I had last seen them.”

While Byrd’s mother, father and brother live in Germany, she does have a younger sister and extended family that live in the states.

“I can’t say that I would be as adjusted and OK with my parents living on a different continent if I didn’t have my family living in the states,” Byrd said.

Students with parents overseas find it somewhat harder to adjust during the school year.

Because their parents are more than just a phone call or car ride away, it is hard for classmates to understand.
“[Other students] can go home when they want and not have to worry about the time difference when calling home,” Kellie J. Mersereau, recent Appalachian alumna, said.  “Plus its more comforting knowing your parents are only 10 to 300 miles away, as opposed to 3,000.”

Mersereau’s parents have been living in Heidelberg, Germany since August 2007.

Her younger brother, Michael Mersereau, is also overseas.
“[Mike and I] fight more since we haven’t seen each other in so long, but it’s more rewarding since we know we won’t see each other for a while longer,” Mersereau said. “Plus, I get to spend time with [my family] in a foreign country doing stuff most other kids can’t.”

Mersereau spends other holidays with her best friend and family.

Though Mersereau has family in New Jersey, she is usually unable to make the drive or flight that far.

Another student, Amber F. Racey, sophomore political science major, usually goes until summer before seeing her immediate family.

Racey’s parents are missionaries who previously served in Egypt and now serve in Jordan.

They have been living overseas for over 21 years.

“We used to take trips back and forth to the states, so I wasn’t completely clueless,” Racey said. “But still, it’s definitely different.”

Racey decided on Appalachian through much consideration.

“I have family two hours away,” Racey said. “So it’s not too close but not too far away.”

Racey is looking forward to spending this Christmas with her brother and father’s parents in Nebraska.
She will not return home to Jordan until the summer.

Byrd, Mersereau and Racey enjoy different aspects of having family overseas.

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