As many Boston University students went home to celebrate Thanksgiving, a traditional American holiday, some international students chose to spend their break differently. Here are some of their accounts:
Nitya Rudraraju, sophomore in the College of Engineering, from India
“I went to visit some cousins down in Orlando. We went to Universal Studios and did Black Friday shopping. For Thanksgiving dinner, we made reservations at this Italian restaurant because they were offering a traditional Thanksgiving dinner along with their regular menu, so whoever wanted turkey could have some. We also had a Thanksgiving breakfast, and my cousin cooked us Indian food.
“[We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving] at home in India, but I did celebrate it last year when I stayed with some family over break. Thanksgiving is about taking time off our busy schedules, sitting together and spending time with friends and family. It’s a time to reconnect and be grateful for the people in your life who care about you.”
Vanessa Chien, sophomore in the Questrom School of Business, from Taiwan
“It was my first time [celebrating Thanksgiving]. I had a ‘Friendsgiving’ celebration with my close friends in Boston. [It was] just a traditional Thanksgiving meal. [We] watched some movies and played games.”
Ryan Aditya Utama Ng, sophomore in the Questrom School of Business, from Indonesia
“What did I do for Thanksgiving this time? [I] played ‘Just Dance’ every night with a bunch of friends [who were] stuck here or visiting from elsewhere. [We] didn’t have a traditional Thanksgiving meal though. We went to Super 88 for dinner on Thursday, but we cooked super mean fried rice and rendang, our national dishes, [on Friday]. I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving at home. Thanksgiving doesn’t really mean anything to me — if anything, I think of it like the American Chinese New Year.”
Shivansh Chaturvedi, sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, from Kenya
“This year, I was invited by a lot of friends and family to visit them and stay with them over break. However, I chose to stay in Boston [because] I had a lot of work, [and] I wanted to go Black Friday shopping in Boston. I spent a good amount of time at the Boston Public Library and up and down Newbury Street. I didn’t have a traditional Thanksgiving meal this year; in fact, I didn’t even have a dinner because I ate a very heavy lunch and was in no mood to eat.
“We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving at home, but this was not my first Thanksgiving. To me, Thanksgiving is a way for extended families and friends to see each other again and have a meal together, which doesn’t often happen in today’s busy day and age. While I personally don’t get to do that, I also believe that Thanksgiving is an important break for students to relax as finals approach.”
Qiyuan Fu, senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, from China
“I visited my homestay family and had a traditional Thanksgiving meal. I helped prepare the food and said grace before dinner with them. I do not celebrate Thanksgiving at home, but I have been celebrating Thanksgiving since I came to the U.S. for high school, and it has been my sixth Thanksgiving [here]. To me, Thanksgiving means being thankful, reuniting with family, sharing life with family and getting restoration during this time.”
Nabeel Younis, sophomore in the College of Engineering, from Kuwait
“A family friend invited me over to stay with her and her family for the Thanksgiving break. Most of the party at the Thanksgiving dinner was Arab, so in addition to turkey and pecan pie, we had traditional Arabic food and desserts as well.”
