As Thanksgiving approaches, many students will head home to enjoy the holiday with family. However, for many international students, the break is too short to travel home.
“I think the time of Thanksgiving is kind of awkward,” said Vicky Lee, a human development and family studies freshman from Hong Kong. “You can’t really go far away and you have to spare some time for (studying).”
Peter Briggs, the director of the Office for International Students and Scholars, said that with campus quieting down, plenty of international students are left behind. As a result, he sees international students doing a variety of things during the four-day weekend.
“People have roommates inviting them home,” Briggs said. “Plenty of people will go to the big cities. For the serious students trying to catch up, it’s a chance to catch up (on work).”
Lee said she plans on making a trip to Chicago with some friends from back home during the break. She said she chose to leave campus because a majority of the cafeterias shut down and many students leave.
This is Lee’s first time experiencing Thanksgiving. She thinks that Chicago is the ideal place to walk around and shop on Black Friday. She added that she has heard of many other international students making plans to go to Chicago, as well, because of its proximity to campus.
Yosephine Dhisaclara, a media and information sophomore from Indonesia, is planning to go to Orlando, Fla., to meet up with high school friends from home that she hasn’t seen since the summer.
“I live in the dorms (and) the dining hall closes,” Dhisaclara said. “Nobody is here. You’re so alone; I’d rather go somewhere than stay here. It sucks to not have anyone to spend your weekend (with) here.”
For international students who are remaining on campus, the International Students Association is planning its annual Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at Spartan Village’s community center.
Symbat Payayeva, economics and political science junior and director of events for the International Students Association, said the group has ordered catering for 400 students. Traditional Thanksgiving foods will be on the menu, and the free meal is sponsored by ASMSU and COGS.
“It’s open for everybody, but basically international students come,” Payayeva said.
Whether students are staying on campus or traveling to a different city, the vacation is welcomed with open arms.
“It’s a nice break before finals week,” Dhisaclara said.
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