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What do International Students Do for Thanksgiving?

By Harry Pearse
Staff Writer

Post attracts a vast number of international students each year, particularly from Asia and Europe. But, the vast majority of the cultures in which these students come from, clearly do not celebrate the American tradition of Thanksgiving. So what do they do?

Photo by Melissa Colleary
Photo by Melissa Colleary

Ian Johnson, junior international studies major, is from Stockholm, Sweden. I asked him whether he has ever celebrated the holiday with his family and friends when he was back in Sweden and he said, “I have never celebrated Thanksgiving in Sweden, and neither does anyone else. It isn’t a holiday that we partake in.”

I carried on to ask Johnson whether he had celebrated it in America when he moved to the East Coast last year, “I celebrated it last year with my five housemates in our house in Hicksville. It was such an amazing meal cooked by one of the boys and we sat down together and ate as a family, with all the traditional food which the Americans would usually have…apart from the red cake,” he said. “It was my job to make the stuffing, and, to be completely honest, I do not possess the culinary skills, which Gordon Ramsey may have, but I thought I had done a pretty good job—the boys weren’t as positive,” Johnson added.

Many Scandinavian and British students who are on sports teams and live in off campus housing, tend to cook for themselves with their house mates; however senior MBA student Sebastian Baxter, from Saffron Walden, Essex, England, spent his 2014 Thanksgiving with a friend who attends Boston University.

“I went to see a mate from home (England) who I have been friends with for years. He invited me up to spend it with him and his friends’ family, which was just lovely,” Baxter said. “My friends’ friend who also goes to BU, was American, so I really got a full American experience of Thanksgiving!”

Many students such a Baxter, who are from overseas countries, do the same, and spend Thanksgiving with an American: maybe with a professor, a friend or colleague, or someone else they have met since making the trip over the pond.

Students who stay on campus for Thanksgiving also have an option to not spend the beloved holiday by themselves. Last year, the school chapel offered a full thanksgiving meal for a small fee. However, this year, Father Ted, the front man for the whole operation has sadly left the university. Therefore, SGA have teamed up with campus life and the associate dean, Jean Anne Smith, to build upon the legacy he left

behind.On Thanksgiving this year, there will be a continental breakfast in the chapel from 10-12, for all students. At noon there will be a religious service ‘of thanks’, followed by Thanksgiving dinner in the Winnick Gold Coast Room.

To pay for the services throughout the day of Thanksgiving, the SGA and Campus Life split the funding with the Newman club, who helped fund the event last year, and is now spearheading the advertisement across campus.

“We are very proud of our involvement in planning these events,” said Adam Hornbuckle, vice president of the SGA, and sophomore political science major. “On behalf of the student government we would like to wish all Post students a happy Thanksgiving.”


 

Schedule:

Wednesday November 25, 2015:

Hillwood Commons Café – 8 am to 5 pm – All other retail operations will be closed.

Thursday November 26, 2015:

Campus Life/SGA Thanksgiving Celebration

Meals will only be available as part of the Thanksgiving

Celebration held in the Interfaith Center and Gold Coast Room as follows:

Continental Breakfast:

10:00 am – 12 noon Interfaith Center Lounge

Thanksgiving Meal:

2:00 pm – 6:00 pm Gold Coast Room

** There is no charge for any of the Thanksgiving Meals **

These meals will be the only meals served on campus on Thursday, 11/26/15 ALL Campus Dining Services locations will be CLOSED.

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