By Ben Warton

The Thanksgiving holiday is approaching, and many students will go home to spend time with family. Many international students, however, do not have the same opportunity.

Nobuki Takahashi, senior vocational missions major from Shizuoka, Japan, is one of these international students staying in the States during the break. He said he plans to take a trip to Santa Fe with his roommates to enjoy the hot springs. Takahashi has taken many trips during past breaks and said he is excited to get away and relax with friends. Spending time with friends helps him cope with being away from family, he said.

“Friends are pretty important, especially for international students,” Takahashi said. “We don’t really have a home to go to here, but with my friends, they are basically like a home to me.”

Ken Lake, senior accounting major from Tokyo, Japan, agreed with Takahashi.

“Friends are very important in my life, and during the Thanksgiving break, it is a really good time to talk and get to know each other while celebrating what we have,” Lake said. “We don’t really need that much entertainment to have fun, so eating and talking is one of the best things we can do with each other.”

Many students get together during the holiday for a potluck-style Thanksgiving dinner with different foods and festivities from several nations, said Laza Razafimanjato, graduate student from Antananarivo, Madagascar.

“Thanksgiving is something that many of us don’t do, so it’s a good time to learn about how different people celebrate it,” Razafimanjato said. “Everyone can be thankful for something, so I enjoy seeing how people celebrate what they are thankful for.”