A New Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a time for family; at FIUTS, we’re thankful for those who welcome international students to their family for this special dinner and to their own traditions. Many of our hosts have hosted year after year, and others welcomed UW international students into their home for the first time. We’re grateful for their generosity, and happy to celebrate their kindness.
The Felix Family and Guest
“ I just wanted to send our thanks for connecting Michael and my family together. We enjoyed the addition of this special young man with our Thanksgiving celebration and I hope he also takes with him good memories. ”
As we at FIUTS reflect on this holiday, we cannot ignore the struggle of Native Peoples or the violence that accompanied the first Thanksgiving. The host process is one of the many ways of re-creating this holiday as one of cross-cultural exchange and as a true celebration of diversity. As Americans move forward with this tradition, we’re excited to join our hosts in finding new ways to create a holiday with values we all hope to be reflected in our culture.
“They were delightful and our other guests were thrilled to have them. I think you have created a new holiday tradition for us.”
Our hosts opened their home and showed their family values through their own traditions to UW students they had never met. This year we had hosts with everything from glistening turkeys to well-seasoned tofu. From glimmering dishware to paper plates and funny hats, every family made an effort to show our international guests the joy of the individualistic American spirit and the generosity of a good host. Let’s give thanks and celebrate this FIUTS tradition!
“Marilyn and I had our past homestay students as well as several of their FIUTS friends for Thanksgiving dinner and two of our international friends. We had people from Japan, Italy, Germany, Ukraine, Holland, India, and Switzerland. What a great bunch! ”
“It was a wonderful experience. My daughter and my nieces had a wonderful time with them.”
