How international students celebrate this holiday season.
After about four month study, now holiday season has come. Everybody are looking forward to enjoying this holiday including the international students. Every culture has their own holiday and the difference makes international students suffer from feelings but also find their own way to celebrate those days. Thanksgiving also means the suffer begin. Because they cannot just fly back home in a five-day holiday, most of international student choose to stay at apartment or dorm. “I spent my Thanksgiving most in my dorm,” said Wentao Wang, a junior Kent State student. This is his third year in the U.S. “I don’t have so much feeling about Thanksgiving because we don’t have it in China, I also don’t know too much about it,” he said in Chinese. Because the culture different, international students would like to do something they like, such as traveling and spending time with their friend. they try to chance American holiday to their own celebration and also for the coming Christmas season. [bbrvideo]INTERNATIONAL STUDENT HOLIDAY_YING_FINAL PKG[/bbrvideo] “International students usually like to do some plan on holiday, no matter travel or study, we just want to make the holiday substantial.” Yuting Yang said. She is an international student who has been here for 4 years. For her, this Christmas is more about studying and prepare for graduation. “I won’t come back this year because I need to prepare for my graduation and finding jobs,” Yang said. She states she used to go back China every Christmas and use the Christmas as Chinese Spring festival to reunion with her family. “Although I miss my family very much, I still need worry about my own future. I need to improve myself during this short vacation.” “More and more students like to take this time to travel see the United state rather here,” said David Hurst, Kent State Campus minister of China Outreach Ministry. For example, Wentao Wang chooses to travel in winter, “For winter vacation, I want to go to California, first because of the weather, second I never been there yet,” he said. “I like to use the holiday with my friends and go out,” said Yuqi Hou, another KSU student from China, “It is all good to use this time to do whatever part-time job or rich experience.” When they talk about homesickness they all agree that it is true to feel homesick. “We are far away from home and far from the environment we familiar with,” said Hou, “But I think as international student, I need to get over it. Can’t just buy a ticket fly back home just because of homesick.” Yang said: “In my fourth year in the United State, I do feel lonely sometimes. Just want to be with my family in holiday.” She tries to stay with her friend which make her feel better. Because when you alone, you do feel lonely. [bbrvideo]INTERNATIONAL STUDENT HOLIDAY_YING_FINAL EI[/bbrvideo] It is important for international students to celebrate this holiday season. Not only get themselves relax but also to understand American culture. “Our cultures base a lot I Christianity and this is one of our biggest holiday of the year to be similar to the Spring Festival for the Chinese,” said Mr. Hurst. He hopes that during this time off from studies internationals can spend more time with American family, get to know how real Americans live. “I hope everybody can just come together and enjoy holiday atmosphere,” Yang said, “Celebrate a holiday maybe is formalized, but formalization makes our life more meaningful.”