Monika Leininger
mleinin1@uwyo.edu
As this time of the year rolls around, most students are having dreams of beautifully set tables dawned with gravy soaked stuffing, juicy turkey slices and warm cranberry sauce. However, most students don’t think about their fellow peers from other countries and their experience on this Americanized holiday.
Thanksgiving originated in the 1600’s when a ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England carrying over 100 colonists who sought to freely practice their faith, as well as seeking land ownership and wealth in America. Following the first year of crops, the pilgrims celebrated their first fall harvest in November 1621. They organized a feast and invited their Native American allies, to share with them in thanks for a fruitful harvest.
Today Thanksgiving is celebrated to show gratitude for friends and family by cooking a bountiful meal. Most families’ Thanksgiving traditions also include watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, football and preparing for the next day’s Black Friday shopping.
However, the population of international students at University of Wyoming seldom have such a warm, wonderful experience on Thanksgiving Day.
Ana Paula Martins, a Junior Petroleum Engineering Student from Brazil, shares her experiences about the holiday.
“It’s really just a normal day for us,” Martins said. “Lots of international students live in the dorms so they don’t get the experience of going inside a house, with a family and eating a home cooked meal.”
Though Martins does not celebrate the holiday herself, she believes that the holiday has a warm conception to it.
“I really do think it’s nice the sort of celebration, getting people together and sharing food, holidays that celebrate something like that and sharing with your heart, that’s really nice,” Martins said.
The concept of Thanksgiving is not unfathomable to many international students and Martins shared how many students come from cultures where there is a huge focus on the tradition of sharing food and preparing it for one another.
“In our culture, we eat full meals. We really enjoy cooking for other people, and it makes us very happy,” Martins said. “Sharing food and cooking is a way of showing love.”
Martins shared how in different cultures, guests are welcomed into homes and offered food as a normal tradition and how if guests don’t accept food, it can be seen as offensive.
“In the Brazilian culture we will offer everything in our house, even if it is very little, if we have guests over we make sure they eat,” Martins said. “Guests are always going to eat first and if there’s enough then you can eat.”
Luckily, the University of Wyoming’s Washakie Hall is open on Thanksgiving for students and residents of Laramie that will not be leaving town for the week. Washakie will be open Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for brunch, and will serve a special Thanksgiving dinner from 5-6 p.m. The Thanksgiving dinner will consist of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, salad, soup and pumpkin pie. Additionally, they will offer a vegan option for visitors that will consist of a pot pie.
Amy Bey, assistant director of Support services for Residence Life and Dining, shares that Washakie usually allows employees of Washakie to bring their family and eat dinner on Thanksgiving Day. Unfortunately, the University of Wyoming does not offer additional pay for its employees on holidays.
This holiday, if you are staying in the town of Laramie, it would be a unique experience to open your home and your hearts to someone from another country. As a way of expressing your gratitude and thankfulness, invite another individual to share in a bountiful Thanksgiving dinner and show them what this delightful American tradition is all about.
