Adam Carricato says 'Fröhliche Weihnachten'

The following message from Adam Carricato in Mettmann, Germany is one of many special greetings that SooToday.com is publishing over the holidays from away-from-home Saultites.

If you're a former resident now living 200 or more kilometres away, SooToday.com would be delighted to post your message and photo. It's absolutely free! For details, click here.

******************** Hallo Zusammen from Mettmann Germany!

My name is Adam Carricato. I am spending this year of my life in the wonderful land of Germany as a Rotary International Youth Exchange Student.

I am sponsored by the Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie in District 6290.

I am the third child of my family to spend one year abroad.

My oldest brother, Andrew, was in Hiroshima, Japan in 1998-1999, and my other brother Anthony, was in Flensburg, Germany in 2002-2003.

I am hosted here by the Rotary Club of Mettmann, which is also the name of the town I am living in.

It is a small town of 40,000 habitants and it is 10 kilometres just outside of the big city of Düsseldorf.

It is the home of the Neanderthal.

Düsseldorf is the home of the longest bar in the world, and is the capital city of the region.

It is located in the northwest part of Germany, near the border of Netherlands and Belgium.

I am living here in Mettmann with a wonderful family of five.

With often business trips all over Europe, studying at university and living in Mequan, USA, it is easy to say it is a family of two.

I will be moving to another host family of six in mid February.

The main reason I am here is to learn the German language, the German culture, to help build peace and understanding in the world being an ambassador of Canada, and to learn more about myself.

Although a graduate from the French high school Notre-Dame-des-Grands-Lacs, I am currently attending a German high school in which I participate in the Grade 11 class.

I spend a lot of my day learning to speak and understand the German language.

Outside of school, I have the opportunity to play ice hockey as a goaltender with the Ratingen Ice Aliens, a team in that small town, just 8 kilometres from Mettmann.

This team competes with nine others in the highest level of hockey in Germany for 16-to-20-year-olds.

Games are played on weekends, either at home in Ratingen, or elsewhere in Germany.

I am a graduate of the Soo Pee Wee Hockey League, and the Sault Major Hockey Association.

As a hockey player here, I have learned that you do not realize how good you are and what people actually think of you until you leave your own community.

The league I play in compares to AAA - Jr. A.

I cannot play in any higher leagues because the next highest level is the professional league where the players are paid.

I am well known around the rink as the Canadian.

Living in central Europe, I have the opportunity to travel, for everything is just a train ride away.

I have been on a German tour for two weeks at the end of October, touring 12 cities, including Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg.

I will also tour London, England on a weekend in February, and travel on a three-week Euro Tour in March-April, touring more than eight countries surrounding Germany, including all capitals and popular European cities.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie and the organisation of Rotary International Youth Exchange Program, along with my supportive family, parents Robert and Donna, and siblings Andrew, Anthony and Alyssa.

I would like to wish all of Sault Ste. Marie a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Be grateful you have snow, Christmas lights, egg nog, while I am grateful for having Christmas in Germany!

- Adam Carricato

****************** Other 2004 holiday messages from SooToday.com readers

Sault hockey mom becomes an international TV star A holiday note from London, Ontario Brandi says hi to all the 'crazy Mounties' Someone please shovel this woman's driveway Merry Christmas from Denmark Merry Christmas from British Columbia Merry Christmas from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Christmas in Iraq Hello from the mountains of the Dominican Republic 'Memories of the Soo' guy starts a family

********************** We do news, differently

SooToday.com, is your locally owned, online source for breaking news about Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Our news staff has been recognized with national and international awards and citations from entities including the Governor-General of Canada, Canadian Association of Journalists, Canadian Association of Broadcasters, Canadian Community Newspapers Association, Radio-Television News Directors Association of Canada and the U.S. Free Press Association.

Isn't it time you made SooToday.com your home page?

Just click here and we'll make sure you're never out of the loop on all the news from your hometown.