Holidays are about being home and spending time with family, right? A Christmas without family just wouldn’t be the same. However, being away from family is something many international students face during the holidays.

International student Elisha Waudo is more than 8,000 miles from his home in Mumias, Kenya.

Waudo, sophomore in computer engineering, grew up spending the holidays at home in Kenya with more than 100 family members, but now his American celebration will include only 30. Waudo is fortunate, though, as many international students have no family here at all.

Waudo will travel to Washington, D.C., to gather with family members who are U.S. residents.

This will be his second year spending the holidays away from home. Joining a small group of relatives makes the season brighter but doesn’t compare to being home, he said.

“If I had one wish, I’d go home for Christmas. Seriously,” Waudo said.

“I just miss home. You can’t substitute [home].”

He said one of the biggest differences between the way Americans and Kenyans celebrate Christmas is the lack of Santa Claus in Kenya.

“That stuff is just in the movies,” Waudo said. “[Christmas] is important because it is the day Jesus was born.”

Raised in a Quaker family, Waudo spent past Christmases in his church singing, dancing and playing games.

A major tradition at home is the singing competitions among numerous church choirs and groups.

Following church, his family gathers for a large meal. The main course is typically sheep or goat with many ethnic side dishes including ugali (corn cake), chapatti (flat bread) and mandazi (doughnuts).

Though his holiday season will not be spent in Kenya, his smaller American celebration will include the two most important aspects to him: family and church.