By Stella Mutoni
Thanksgiving is fast approaching and if you’re an international student, you may be wondering how you might participate in the festivities. Thanksgiving is an important holiday in the traditions of American culture. On this day, many American families come together to enjoy lots of food, especially turkey and mashed potatoes. It is a time for getting together with the ones you love, giving thanks for what you have and getting in the holiday spirit!
As an international student who’s not familiar with this holiday, you may be experiencing Thanksgiving for the first time. Here are some ideas of how you could celebrate Thanksgiving break!
Celebrate in an American Home
If an American friend invites you over to her house to celebrate with her family, definitely accept the invitation! It will be a great way to experience Thanksgiving in the way that it is really celebrated by an American family. It will be a good opportunity for you to enjoy delicious food, make more friends and have a great time. Alternatively, you can sign up to participate in the Thanksgiving Dinner in an American Home event organized by the International Students and Scholars Office at the University of Arkansas where you will be matched with an American host family who you can celebrate with. It is a great way to learn about American traditions and the significance of this holiday!
Host A Friendsgiving Party
Another great way to get into the spirit of Thanksgiving is to share a meal with your friends! Make sure to plan ahead and do your grocery shopping well in advance because most grocery stores are usually either closed for Thanksgiving Day or their work hours are different. It is always nice to foster traditions with your friends, because they are like your family in the U.S. It’s a good idea to do Friendsgiving “potluck” style where everyone brings a dish that they’ve made, so you have plenty of food and lots of options!
Be on the Lookout for Events on Campus
Since not everyone goes home for Thanksgiving, there are always events on and off campus during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and shortly before. If you want to experience a free Thanksgiving meal with other students, make sure to follow the U of A social media pages on platforms like Twitter and Instagram that often advertise such events and read the Arkansas Newswire that comes to your email every morning!
Go Black Friday shopping
Black Friday is the Friday right after Thanksgiving and it’s the time that most stores offer special discounts on a lot of items. If you spent Thanksgiving Day alone and bored, you could go shopping on Black Friday and take advantage of the sales. While many stores and brands will have incredible sales, there are others like Nike and Apple whose prices will not reduce, so be sure to find out in advance whether your favorite store is having a sale! There are always also great deals you can find online, so you don’t even need to leave the house to participate if you don’t want to experience the crowded stores.
Lights of the Ozarks-Fayetteville. Annual parade to kick off the holiday season
Take a Break
Thanksgiving break is four days long, so if you’ve been struggling in class, this could be a good time to catch up or to just have some time for yourself to relax before finals. If you need a change of scenery, this is a good time to go on a road trip with friends to a city nearby that you’ve been meaning to visit. You can also fly to farther destinations like New Orleans, Chicago, Atlanta and get to see amazing Thanksgiving parades!
Fayetteville has a lot to offer as well if you’re staying in town for Thanksgiving break: The Lights of the Ozarks will light up the town square once more on November 22 and last all the way throughout December, so get a hot chocolate and enjoy the amazing view!
