For those who have grown up in the United States, Thanksgiving is a holiday of eating, thanks and family, but for international students, the fourth Thursday in November is often just that – Thursday.
Thanksgiving, rooted in English harvest celebrations, was brought into colonial New England as pilgrims at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts gave thanks and rejoiced over a good harvest.
Today, Americans typically gather together as families to celebrate and give thanks over a feast.
However, for international students at Oklahoma Christian University the holiday is not a tradition of their home, and though many have heard of the celebration, they may have never experienced it themselves.
Wenjing Dang, a senior general business major, is from China. Dang had her first Thanksgiving last year with a friend’s family.
“It was a really nice and warm experience,” Dang said. “The experience you could never get from other countries.”
Before Dang came to America, she already knew about Thanksgiving but had never experienced it. According to Dang, people know about Thanksgiving in China, but it is not celebrated, and the meaning behind the holiday is obscured.
“Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for the relationships of family,” LJ Littlejohn, director of Oklahoma Christian ESL program, said.
When people get together to celebrate the holiday, international students usually do not have a chance to celebrate it with others. Sometimes, they go to church to get the holiday experience.
“The first year I got here I went to Memorial Road Church of Christ to experience this holiday,” Dang said. “We had several meals, like turkey, cranberry jam and pies. I liked that cranberry jam. It tasted sweet and sour.”
A few of the international students had a taste of the holiday before they came to America. Senior Toru Hirosawa is from Japan. His family celebrated Thanksgiving, but he said the holiday is seen as a church celebration.
“I have been in a Christian environment,” Hirosawa said. “So, I have been experiencing Thanksgiving every year since I was a kid. It was kind of different to go to people’s house. It’s not like in the church. It was really homey. There were so many meals on the table. I was really surprised.”
According to Hirosawa, there are some differences between a church Thanksgiving and sharing a meal with family.
“Most families I have been to were very welcoming to anyone,” Hirosawa said. “We all have a huge meal together. We get to know each other. It is usually not just like one day but whole Thanksgiving break. Every night, they will have a big dinner.”
As Americans celebrate this holiday, international students have their own perspectives for Thanksgiving.
“I know briefly how this festival came along,” Ashley Lim, junior engineering student from Malaysia, said. “So I guess I would like to preserve that same tradition. Not literally, what I mean is the value behind this day. As the name says thanksgiving, it is a day to remember those who had helped you to get through this year.”
Lim has been in America two years. She said she doesn’t think this holiday is very necessary for international students, but said she thinks it is a good experience.
“Most of us have our own special day like Thanksgiving,” Lim said. “But this is a good opportunity to experience the American life and not get too lonely over the break.”
For international students, when one talks about Thanksgiving Day, they usually have different image in their mind.
“I think about turkey and family,” Hirosawa said. “I can only think about turkey, friends, and family.”
With Thanksgiving around the corner, Dang said she wants to say some special thanks to people.
“I’m really thankful for my family,” Dang said. “They always support me. I’m also thankful for my friends and the people I met in this school. I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.”
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