Giving thanks globally
International community celebrates traditional Thanksgiving feast
9:53 a.m., Nov. 25, 2015--On Sunday, Nov. 22, approximately 400 members of the international community at the University of Delaware gathered together to experience the traditional American holiday, Thanksgiving.
Held annually by the Office for International Students and Scholars in partnership with the Retreat at Newark, this free event brings together students, scholars and their families from across the world for a night filled with friendship, fun and turkey at the Embassy Suites.
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Since 2011, Thanksgiving Dinner with OISS has quadrupled in size, originally accommodating 100 students at its inception. This year’s Thanksgiving Dinner sold out in just over three hours.
“This is very special because it is a meeting for celebrating friendship. I don’t think holidays in my country are the same. For me this is unique,” noted Daniel Chazi Capelo, a master’s student in bioinformatics and computational biology from Ecuador.
For those in attendance, the evening served not only as a way to experience a new holiday but also to meet with friends and to collectively express gratitude.
“There is no religiosity at all, but we really celebrate something that is very positive and that is just saying thanks to everyone and for everything regardless of what you believe in. That really ties people together and that’s the part that I love the most,” said Andrés Carvajal, a Fulbright Ph.D. student in linguistics and cognitive science from Colombia.
Guests had the opportunity to create “thankful trees” from centerpieces made of branches and handwritten notes on colorful paper leaves. On the leaves, they each wrote what they were most grateful for.
Many cited their thankfulness for family and friends, both here in the United States and in their home countries. “For the gift of life, the people you meet along the journey and those who love and teach me” was the message on one leaf.
Others expressed gratitude for professional and academic experiences at the University of Delaware. “I’m thankful for all the great things life has given me,” wrote another, “the last one in the form of a scholarship that allows me to be here.”
On Thursday, Nov. 26, some 137 international students, scholars and their families will get an even more personal perspective on the Thanksgiving holiday, as they spend the day with more than 100 host families from the University and greater Delaware community. Rick Gray, community volunteer, has worked with OISS over the years to coordinate this program.
While registration has closed for this year’s host program, those who are interested in welcoming international students, scholars and their families next year are invited to email oissprograms@udel.edu to get on the mailing list to receive future communications.
Follow along as the international community continues to participate in the holiday festivities on OISS Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Engage using the hashtag #ThankfulOISS.
Article by Nikki Laws
Photos by Wenbo Fan and Nikki Laws