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Unlike most residents at GCSU, many international students do not have a place to visit for the Thanksgiving break. With the arrival of this American holiday, many of these students have organized their own ways to celebrate. Libby Davis, Associate Director of International Education, has assisted students in finding plans for this year's holiday.

"Some of our students travel during the break to see other parts of the U.S., some go home with new U.S. friends to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, and some do end up staying in Milledgeville," Davis said.

Traveling during the break is a popular option for many students, including Aleksi Koskelo of Finland.

"I am going to fly to Minnesota to see some of my American friends there and play ice hockey," Koskelo said.

The majority of international students are traveling during the week. Many are following friends or roommates home for the break. Pedro Lima of Brazil is one student following this trend.

"I believe I'm going home with my roommate," Lima said. "I heard there is a chance of going to Disney World though, that would be fun."

For those who will be staying in Milledgeville, like Taiki Kawamoto from Japan, there are other ways to enjoy the week off school.

"I have no plans for Thanksgiving," Kawamoto said. "I don't know exactly why the U.S. has Thanksgiving, but it will be a good break since we don't have a fall break."

Since many students are going home, to entertain those staying here for the holiday, the International Club has been busy planning activities. Richard Kim, an officer of the International Students Club, has been helping plan these activities.

"There are some [international students] going on trips to various places in the country in groups or individually. I know a few people who actually have relatives in the country that they'll visit during the break," Kim said. "For the rest of the students, the International Students Club has prepared activities so they won't get bored."

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Kim is also staying in Milledgeville over the break, but with a different situation than most.

"I am somewhat of a unique case because although I am an international student, my parents are also here with me," Kim said. "They purchased Judy's Country Kitchen last year, which is also the reason I moved down here."

Although he is staying in town this Thanksgiving, Kim plans to keep himself busy over the break.

"I'll most likely be working at the restaurant, and studying for finals rest of the time. I am hoping though, that I can slip in a road trip or two," Kim said.

Another thing that international students can look forward to is Thanksgiving dinner provided by the Baptist Collegiate Ministries. Dan Ashworth, the president of BCM, is helping organize the annual dinner.

"I think the main thought behind [the dinner] is that virtually all [or most] students from the United States have a place in which to celebrate Thanksgiving, but this is not the case for our international students," Ashworth said. "Although Thanksgiving is not widely celebrated outside North America, we would like to provide an opportunity to anyone who would like to celebrate the things they're grateful for with a Thanksgiving dinner at the BCM House."

The dinner will be at the BCM House on Monday, Nov. 24 at 6:30 pm. The food at the dinner is provided by local churches and is open to all GCSU students.

History
Thanksgiving generally is considered secular. It is not based on any specific religion or dogma. Though the holiday's origins can be traced to harvest festivals that have been celebrated in many cultures since ancient times, the American holiday has religious undertones related to the redemption of the English settlers by Native Americans after the brutal winter at Plymouth, Massachusetts. - www.randomhistory.com