Dear International Students and Scholars,
Next Tuesday, November 24th, ISSS will host “A Taste of Thanksgiving” lunch for international students and scholars at the ISSS International Center. This event is free, but you must sign up in advance in order to participate.
Spots are first come, first serve, and are limited to 60 students and scholars. Sign up at
www.icworkshops.uconn.edu > Events > A Taste of Thanksgiving. Meals are served at two different times: 12 noon and 1 pm. You must sign up for one or the other mealtime (not both). Please find more details on
the attached flyer.
In the spirit of giving thanks for what we have, we also ask you to consider bringing a food or personal care item that we will donate to the local Covenant Soup Kitchen, to provide to those who are less fortunate. Please see here for a
“Wish List” of items that Covenant Soup Kitchen hopes to collect:
http://www.covenantsoupkitchen.org/wishlist.htm.
Many international students and scholars may wonder, “What is Thanksgiving?”
Thanksgiving is always held on the 4th Thursday in November (so Thanksgiving this year is actually Thursday, November 26th).
Local businesses will close on Thanksgiving Day. Some local businesses stay closed on Friday, November 27th as well. Please plan accordingly and make sure to do your grocery shopping no later than the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
For many Americans, Thanksgiving is a holiday to get together with friends and family, and celebrate each other and the things in life for which they are thankful. Families usually have an afternoon feast (Thanksgiving dinner) that often
consists of food items such as a roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, squash and other fall vegetables, cranberry sauce, and pies. After dinner, many families will get together and watch American football on television (there are always games on this day), or
maybe even play a game of football or take a hike. The traditional Thanksgiving feast we have today is meant to recall the Thanksgiving origin story, which centers around a meal in the year 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, when European Pilgrim settlers shared
a feast with local Wampanoag tribe members. While Thanksgiving is one of the most celebrated U.S. holidays, for many American Indians the Thanksgiving holiday is a day of mourning, a day to consider the enormous loss of Native American life and culture that
took place after Europeans arrived. The following articles give several perspectives on the Thanksgiving holiday and origin story: A U.S. Department of State resource for English language learners on the holiday of Thanksgiving:
http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/thanksgivingday.pdf ; and an editorial by Dennis Zotigh, “Do American Indians Celebrate Thanksgiving?”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dennis-w-zotigh/do-american-indians-celebrate-thanksgiving_b_2160786.html .
In recent years, the Thanksgiving holiday has also marked for many Americans the beginning of the winter holiday season, and in particular, the holiday shopping season. The day after Thanksgiving is known as “Black Friday” (because businesses
are “in the black” in terms of profits) and some stores even open on the evening or night of Thanksgiving to try to entice shoppers with incredible deals. Many Americans have made holiday shopping a part of the family Thanksgiving tradition, while others shun
this practice for its commercialization of what is supposed to be a time with loved ones to appreciate what we have, and the burden this puts on the store workers who cannot enjoy the holiday.
However you choose to celebrate the holiday, ISSS would like to extend a welcome to you on Tuesday to get together with ISSS staff and fellow international students and scholars who are far from home, sample some traditional holiday food
and think about what we have to be thankful for. We hope you choose to join us! Remember sign up is required at
www.icworkshops.uconn.edu, and please consider bringing a food item to donate to the local soup kitchen.
Thanks,
ISSS Staff
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
2011 Hillside Road, U-1083
STORRS, CT 06269-1083
PHONE: 860.486.3855 |
http://isss.uconn.edu