| International students find meaning in sharing holiday with host families |
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| Written by Dustin Dangli | ||||
| Tuesday, 25 November 2008 08:21 PM | ||||
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Celebrating holidays with family tends to be a universal trend, but the Thanksgiving holiday can be foreign for some students. Growing up in Nigeria, accounting freshman Oseikhuemen Omon-Anolu has never experienced Thanksgiving and looks forward to spending the holiday with his roommate’s family. “I’m excited because we don’t have Thanksgiving in Nigeria,” he said. “All I know is that it’s when the people that first came to America gave gifts to the Native Americans.” Business junior Tien Ton came to the United States from Vietnam a few years ago. She said her host family at the time tried to give her an authentic first Thanksgiving here in the states. “So I spent [my] first Thanksgiving like any other American families may have — a nice dinner with family members getting together,” she said. Ton said the holiday that most resembles Thanksgiving in Vietnam is called “Tet”. The holiday is the Vietnamese lunar new year. Although the origins of the holiday don’t involve a feast between pilgrims and native Americans, she said it’s the biggest holiday for Vietnamese families. “It’s like a time for family to get together,” she said. “It is the most important holiday.” Some organizations, like the Baptist Student Ministry, have done a few events for international students to experience the holiday. On Nov 22, BSM hosted its annual Thanksgiving meal at the BSM building. The event had about 150 international student participants, BSM director Gary Stidham said. He also said that the hospitality doesn’t stop there. “Many of our students also invite their international friends to Thanksgiving dinner in their homes,” he said. Like Omon-Anolu and Ton’s friends who are inviting them to enjoy the holiday with their families, most of the outreach to international students rests on American students. Arlington Hall office assistant Erin Grope said the residence halls aren’t doing anything special for students staying in the dorms over the break. “They can come home with me,” she said. “My parents make lots of food.” Omon-Anolu remains eager to eat Thanksgiving foods at his friend’s house in north Texas. He said he misses home cooked meals since he left home. “I’m excited because maybe I can eat something like Nigerian food,” he said. “I’m tired of the food here.” While most students anticipate the feast, Omon-Anolu said he’s most excited for what he considers to be a real holiday — Black Friday. “I have money, and I’m ready to wake up at four in the morning for the big sales,” he said. Holiday hours on campus • Bowling and Billiards: Closed Thursday-Sunday • Connection Cafe, The Market, The Plaza, The Post Office: Closed Thursday-Saturday Views: 1763 | E-mail
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 January 2009 03:16 PM ) | ||||
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