Natalie Kinney | Culture Reporter | nkinney@butler.edu
All across campus this week, Butler students are excitedly waiting to get home for Thanksgiving Break. But there are some students who will not go home this weekend because their home happens to be on the other side of an ocean.
However, many international students have the chance to go home with another student over break. Noemi Ponzoni, junior international studies major, has an outsider’s perspective about American Thanksgiving traditions—specifically a perspective from her hometown of Milan, Italy.
Ponzoni said a big part of going to a home away from home is pretty similar to what makes going home special for Americans.
“I love Thanksgiving because it’s like experiencing a little bit of Christmas cheer ahead of time, having all the family reunited and just spend time together is always good,” she said.
First year Jessica Xiang, an international student from China, will also be celebrating Thanksgiving with her friends in the United States.
“I’m really excited to spend Thanksgiving with some of my best friends in Illinois,” Xiang said.
Xiang just had a new nephew born in China, who she is excited to see, but she said she looks forward to joining her friend’s family to celebrate the holiday.
Some students may not get to home right away, due to other obligations.
Sophomore Haley Loquercio, who if from the Chicago area, has to stay a few days on campus during break due to theatre rehearsals for Butler’s upcoming play in December. She will utilize her friend’s on-campus housing, since her sorority closes before Saturday. After rehearsals, Loquercio will return home to Chicago to spend time with her family and dog.
When reminiscing about her favorite Thanksgiving memory, she said she enjoys baking and eating traditional Thanksgiving food with her family.
“Ever since I was three years old, I have helped my grandma make all of our Thanksgiving food on Wednesday,” Loquercio said. “It’s great quality time for our whole family.”
As every American can name their favorite holiday tradition that makes them excited to go home, students like Xiang will be able to create their newfound favorite traditions around the table.
“I still can’t eat pumpkin pie; I’m still not used to pumpkin flavor even though I’ve been here so long,” Ponzoni said.
Unique to most students abroad here, this will be Ponzoni’s fourth Thanksgiving in the states. She says the wishbone at the end of the meal is her favorite tradition.
“I’m excited to spend time with a family even though it’s not my biological family,” she said. “It would be cool to have something similar but we just don’t have the history behind it, which makes it so unique.”
Whether sharing one’s favorite food with loved ones or watching the Thanksgiving Day football games, Thanksgiving reminds celebrators to be thankful and appreciative for our history, privileges and blessings.
