Although the holiday has the same meaning and motive as American Thanksgiving, which is being thankful and grateful for what a person has, for some Canadian students, the dinner is a place to celebrate with individuals with similar interests, said AnnMarie Schneider, director of the Canadian Studies Center.

Schneider said because of the large size of Canada, not all Canadian students at MSU might know one another.

“(If) they are able to attend the celebration, I think it gives them a little bit of comfort about being here on this very global campus,” Schneider said.

History senior Brian Folmar said although he is not originally from Canada, he has taken much interest in the county after studying abroad in Ottawa, Onatario, in the summer of 2011.

Folmar is the governor general, or president, of the Canada Club and has attended dinners in the past. He said he always is happy to learn a little bit more about the county.

“Every time I go to a Canadian Thanksgiving meal, I meet a new professor or student who is from Canada or had an interest in Canada, and I learn a little about where they are from or where they go,” Folmar said. “There are always interesting things that can be found.”

Graduate student Greg Ormond, an international student from Calgary, Alberta, said he is happy to spend his first Thanksgiving in the U.S. at the Canadian Studies Center on a day he usually spends surrounded by family.

Ormond said there are a few cultural differences between the two holidays regarding the choice of sport and topping.

“We play pickup hockey instead of when some families play pickup American football out here,” Ormond said. “(And) this is so stereotypical, we usually put maple syrup on our turkey, but I feel like they make fun of us over here,” he added, laughing to his friends.