International students and turkey

Emi Oda, from Japan, was able to spend time with her aunt in Charlottesville over Thanksgiving break.

While other EMU students were having Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family, Blen Eshete, from Ethiopia, went with her host family to the host parents' children's house in Fredricksburg, Va., on Thanksgiving Thursday. Like Eshete, many international students left the quiet campus and spent Thanksgiving with their host families.

While EMU does not have a specific policy for matching international students with host families, they are able to facilitate some experiences through the IEP program. The program provides students with a community home to stay in or, if students specifically request, a host family or place to stay off-campus.

When holiday times come, many international students receive invitations from their host families/friends, at least for the Thanksgiving meal.

Others were able to spend Thanksgiving with friends, co-workers, or even family. Thomas Tran, from Vietnam, spent Thanksgiving this year with a friend from his church. This is the second year in a row he's spent the holiday with her. "She's like a mom to me," said Tran. "It felt like home, just like home."

Three students, two of them work-study students with the theater department, went with their theater boss to his farm outside of Harrisonburg to share Thanksgiving dinner with his family. Two of these students then also had a dinner with other international student friends.

Some international students, in addition to (and in a few cases, in place of) going to their host family's house, also prepared their own Thanksgiving dinner. One such dinner occurred here on campus in the Parkwoods Apartments. The outcome of the turkey as a respectable dinner may have been questionable, but all enjoyed the fellowship of friends.

As an American holiday, Thanksgiving is new to many international students. Some have experienced their third or fourth thanksgiving celebration by now.

Silvia Wibowo mentioned that the celebration of Thanksgiving is similar in its practice to the Ramadan celebration in Indonesia. Even though Silvia's family isn't Muslim, they were always invited to a friend's or neighbor's place for the celebration, as Muslims are the majority group in her area. "Everyone sees their family at Ramadan. It happens once a year and also has traditional foods with it. But Ramadan is celebrated for a whole week, and they have chicken, not turkey."

Tran made connections with the celebration of the Chinese New Year in Vietnam. He mentioned that it was a relaxing time to spend with family and friends, to catch up on each other's lives.

Most international students, despite the fact that Thanksgiving is not a holiday they would normally celebrate, have enjoyed the chance to eat good meals with their host families, hang out with friends, and have fun learning a bit more about the United States' culture.