Andreea Georgescu
Staff Writer
About three years and a half ago, I was signing my tennis contract at SE and sending my transcripts to the United States.
I was so excited to experience college life here.
In addition to receiving an education here, I’ve also had the chance to find out more about American culture.
Because it is November, I have been thinking about the Thanksgiving holiday and remembering the first time I celebrated Thanksgiving in the United States.
Five days is a really short time for me to even start dreaming about going back home to Romania, but I was lucky enough to not have to spend the holiday stuck in the dorms.
One of my friends invited me to her house in St. Louis, and I was grateful to have a homemade Thanksgiving dinner.
I also got to experience Black Friday for the first time.
We don’t have such a day back home, so I was happy to experience it for the first time.
There are other international students at Southeastern in the exact same position this year.
Some of them are about to experience Thanksgiving for the fist time, while others are ready to celebrate it again.
For most international students, it’s almost impossible to go back home in such a short period, so they have to find a place to celebrate here.
Carolina N-fal, a freshman from Mexico, said her family is coming to visit her. “I am lucky that my mom got a really good deal for the plane ticket, and she will come in Dallas,” N-fal said. “I am planning to go there to spend couple of days with her and of course go shopping on Black Friday.”
Other students are planning to go home with their friends, roommates or teammates. “I am going to spend Thanksgiving at my roommate’s house in Texas,” said freshman Elba Haugen, who is from Mexico. “She was really nice and invited me so I won’t spend the whole break on campus.”
Junior Daichi Taniguchi from Japan has found himself in a similar situation. “I am going to spend Thanksgiving at one of my teammate’s house,” Taniguchi said.
Some international students are lucky, and they get to go home and be with their family for the five-day break, like junior Jeff Hunter from Canada. “I am planning to go home for Thanksgiving. I got my plane ticket a while ago for a good deal,” Hunter said.
I have always felt welcome in the United States, and everyone has been happy to show me and tell me more about their culture.
November 15, 2012