A turkey with all the trimmings and the fourth Thursday of November may ring bells and incite schmaltzy feelings for most American college students, but for the 16 percent of Jumbos who hail from other countries, Thanksgiving may not represent anything other than a strange new tradition and a few days off from classes.
Lois Hutchings, coordinator for Tufts' International Center, explained that knowledge of the Thanksgiving holiday, though ubiquitous in America, is not worldwide. "Many international students don't really know anything about Thanksgiving," she said.
According to Hutchings, many international students experience their first Thanksgiving at Tufts.
"Thanksgiving may be an unexpectedly disappointing day for international students if they don't know that everything is closed and quiet on the holiday," Hutchings said. "They may not be aware of how the day can be lonely."
Many international students who cannot make it home have made plans to spend the five-day break with nearby friends or relatives. Sonia Susanto, a freshman from Singapore, intends to meet several of her friends from high school -- who also chose to attend college in the United States -- in New York City over Thanksgiving break.
"We will just hang out, catch up and probably have dinner together," she said. "It will be fun, but it won't be a big deal, because we don't have Thanksgiving in Singapore."
Sophomore Alyssa Edoo, a Trinidadian who had never left her country before attending Tufts, will not be traveling back to the Caribbean over the break because of the inflated prices of plane tickets during the week of Thanksgiving. "We have five days off, and airfare is around $800, so that doesn't make much sense," Edoo said in an e-mail to the Daily.
Edoo echoed Susanto's sentiments, emphasizing that most people from her home do not know about the holiday.
"I only knew about [Thanksgiving] before I came to the States because I watch way too much TV," she said. "A lot of my American friends would be heartbroken if they couldn't be with their family for Thanksgiving, but it doesn't matter at all to me."
Edoo explained that although she now lives in America, the tradition has not stuck. "Basically, Thanksgiving is an American thing, even though I'm in the country semi-permanently now," she said. "It's really great, and I'm glad that [Americans] celebrate it, but to me it's just a few much-needed days off from school."
Shreya Maitra, a junior from London, shared Edoo's views.
"I like Thanksgiving because it gives me a break from school, not because of any sentimental value," she said.
Though many international students plan to visit old friends or family members who live nearby over Thanksgiving break, others have chosen to remain on campus to take advantage of the relative peace and quiet.
Andrew Choi, a sophomore who calls Hong Kong home, plans to enjoy a relaxed break on campus with several of his friends who will also stay at Tufts.
"It's just convenient to stay here, because it's a good time for me to catch up and get things done," Choi said. "I can play guitar, do work, play sports [and] watch TV."
Hutchings said that she is unaware of precisely how many international students remain on campus for Thanksgiving break, but she expressed that the International Center tries to provide options for those who do, including the annual Thanksgiving potluck, which was held this past Friday.
In addition to options on campus, the International Center offers students opportunities to take part in Thanksgiving celebrations in the nearby community.
"We offered the chance for students planning to stay on campus to be matched up with a local family for a real Thanksgiving meal," Hutchings said.
Every family participating in the program has been matched up with an international student. Hutchings said that if the program is successful, it will be implemented again next year.
Additionally, some Tufts students have volunteered on their own to host a foreign friend. Freshman Cameron Bradley invited his friend, freshman Firas Said, to spend the holidays with his family in Connecticut, since a trip back home to Lebanon for Said is not a feasible option for the five-day break.
"Firas told me that he had nowhere to go for Thanksgiving, so I just invited him to my place," Bradley said. "It's kind of weird that it's his first Thanksgiving, but I think it'll be a good time."
Other American students live far enough from Tufts that the journey home is impractical. Elizabeth Roberts, a freshman from San Francisco, plans to spend the holiday with relatives in Washington, D.C.
"I went to boarding school, so I'm used to being away from home," she said. "It doesn't really bother me."
Not all students share Roberts' views, however, and for some, the prospect of spending Thanksgiving away from home is not a happy one. Freshman Maya Kohli, whose family lives in Oregon, said she wishes she could go home for the holidays.
"The tickets are super expensive, but I'm kind of bummed that I can't go home, especially when I hear everyone else talking about how excited they are," she said.
The advantages of living nearby were similarly apparent to several other students. "American kids have the luxury of going home over the short breaks, while I only go home over winter and summer breaks," Choi said.
Despite the setbacks of attending college so far from home, most international students agreed that their education was worth the hassle.
"It's not as hard as I expected to be far away from my family and home," freshman Lily Chongkamanont of Thailand said. "I really like it here."
