My First FIUTS Thanksgiving

By Changning Chen

Hi, my name is Changning Chen and I come from Chengdu, China, which is famous for spicy Sichuan food, like hot-pot. My classmate Chiaki and I were very lucky to be invited by Jon and Noreen to celebrate Thanksgiving together with their family. They picked us up on campus and drove us to Bellevue. The weather was beautiful and Jon kindly showed us a lot of beautiful places along the way. Mrs. Jones, Noreen’s mother, prepared the Thanksgiving dinner in her beautiful apartment. We also met several friendly family members there.

Although I also celebrate Thanksgiving in China sometimes, I have never had a “real” Thanksgiving before I came to the USA. The food was wonderful and we really liked the delicious turkey and pie. During the dinner, we shared a lot of interesting stories with each other. Mrs. Jones also showed us her traditional Norway cloth, which is an absolute masterpiece made by her mother. After having desert and coffee, Mrs. Jones suggested we play Scrabble. It was really fun for us and Chiaki won the game. Jon and Noreen drove us back to campus that night. Chiaki adds, "I appreciated the great opportunity to explore American tradition with tender Turkey and pumpkin pie. It was a splendid experience to socialize and accustom ourselves to the local community in Seattle".

It was such a great pleasure to meet and celebrate Thanksgiving with Noreen and her family. I also need to thank Bea who matched us with Noreen’s family. This is a wonderful experience which I will never forget!

Check out more photos from our students placed in homes all over Seattle for this American tradition: Thanksgiving Dinner with Community Hosts. Contact Bea if you'd like to join our community and meet UW international students!