For Thanksgiving, international students at BYU-Idaho reflected on their experiences navigating a holiday they didn’t grow up with. From tasting their first slice of pumpkin pie to creating new traditions with friends, their celebrations highlighted the diverse ways the American holiday is embraced.

June Zhu, a first-semester freshman from China, celebrated her first Thanksgiving this year. Originally from Shandong and most recently Shanghai, Zhu is studying accounting at BYUI and was eager to experience the holiday.

“One of my roommates invited me to her home for Thanksgiving, and I was excited to celebrate,” said Zhu.

Nohlanhla Lynn Murombwi, who goes by Lynn, is from Harare, Zimbabwe. Now in her second year studying biomedical science at BYUI, she has discovered her own way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

“I did a Friendsgiving once,” said Murombwi. “But last year, I visited some older couples I had met on my mission. It made my Thanksgiving special because we could express gratitude to each other for the experiences we shared in the field.”

Melody Calditaran, from the Philippines, is in her second semester at BYUI. Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday, isn’t celebrated in her hometown, but she compared it to the large Christmas Day celebrations familiar to her.

“We usually have dinner, play games, and spend time with family during Christmas,” said Calditaran. “This was my first Thanksgiving, so I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was really excited and looking forward to it.”

Calditaran said lechon, a type of roasted pig traditionally served during Christmas in the Philippines, reminds her of Thanksgiving turkey.

“Basically, it’s like the turkey on Thanksgiving. It helps represent how big this holiday is,” Calditaran said.

Shinyoung Park, a freshman illustration major from South Korea, is new to BYUI, but the concept of Thanksgiving isn’t unfamiliar to her.

“In South Korea, Thanksgiving is called Chuseok,” said Park. “The name 'Chuseok' literally means 'autumn night,' and this holiday is very similar to Thanksgiving.”

Chuseok celebrates the year’s bountiful harvest and is rooted in gratitude and thankfulness. During the holiday, families gather to enjoy traditional foods and play games together.

“Personally, my favorite Chuseok foods are songpyeon, a sweet rice cake dessert; jeon, various meats and vegetables coated in egg batter and pan-fried; and galbi-jjim, braised short ribs,” Park said.

She shared a fun fact about Chuseok: the tradition of making songpyeon with family.

“There’s a myth that says if you make pretty songpyeon, you’ll have a pretty baby in the future,” Park said

Tashna Collins, a second-year biology student at BYUI from Jamaica, found ways to celebrate Thanksgiving by spending time with friends and their families.

“One of my friend’s families invited us over, and we had dinner,” said Collins.

Leilani Aguilera, from Sonora, Mexico, finished her first year at BYUI studying psychology.

“I just had dinner with friends,” said Aguilera.

BYUI has ready-available resources for international students feeling alone during the holiday season on the International Services website.

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