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I celebrated my first Thanksgiving in the U.S. on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Although it is on Nov. 23, we planned to celebrate Thanksgiving a bit early for those who might be visiting their family during that time.
This holiday made me feel grateful and appreciative for things that I have in life. Although spending time away from home made me feel left out, being around people who wish nothing but happiness for me made me feel a lot better. I contributed by making my traditional food, Aalu Titaura, which is a side dish we have as something to munch on.
Chasity Craft, one of my friends from the Student Center, prepared so many dishes for us. I especially enjoyed the turkey, which was the highlight of the whole dinner. She also invited some of the former residents and we had a lovely time with them.
We started arranging tables around 5 p.m. We set up drinks and food on the tables and sat down while waiting for everyone to arrive. After 20 minutes , we began eating. Some of the residents brought friends and we started introducing ourselves. After a while, we were comfortable enough to share some of our awkward holiday moments and had a good laugh at it. I had a lot of laughs with my friend Gertude Nartey, freshman law major.Since she is also away from her home, we spent most of our time reminiscing about our home country.
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“I do miss home, but this gave me a new experience of spending time with people you love,” Nartey said.
I think coming to Topeka was one of my best decisions. The people here are welcoming and I do not feel like an outsider. There are no city noises and everything sounds like it is moving with nature. I find myself in peace whenever I am outside taking a walk with my friends.Faith Jepchirchir, a sophomore nursing major and one of my friends, always helps me whenever I get stuck in a difficult situation.
“Thanksgiving should be a time when we should realize how far we have come,” Jepchirchir said. “We often forget what we must be grateful for and Thanksgiving provides a place for it.”
We finished our food and I left early since I had an assignment due that day. My friends saved the leftovers for people who were not able to make it in the fridge.
Edited by Sydney Peterson and Jeremy Ford