As junior Noel Nehlich, a foreign exchange student from Germany, sat at the table, the different aromas wafted into his nose. Turkey, pumpkin pie and corn casserole sat scattered throughout the table in a neat array. As Nehlich dug in, he got his first taste of Thanksgiving.
“It’s very nice to have new holidays and not only to celebrate what everyone else is celebrating at home,” Nehlich said.
Thanksgiving, celebrated all throughout the 50 states in the U.S., is a holiday in which many American families gather together and practice gratitude. Many engage in a
family feast. The aroma of food can make everyone’s mouth water.
Foreign exchange students junior Adele Kluessendorf and Nehlich, both from Germany, experienced their first Thanksgiving this year.
America’s Thanksgiving holiday is not celebrated in Germany. However, they have a similar holiday called Erntedankfest, where, in a similar fashion, they give thanks for their harvest.
“The idea of it goes back to medieval Germany, and the idea is to celebrate or to be thankful for what we harvest,” Nehlich said.
Erntedankfest is primarily a religious and rural celebration that happens around the beginning of October, or harvest time for them. This celebration usually features large and loud parades as well as church services.
In another home, the bustling sound of laughter fills the air. This family is Kluessendorf’s host family.
In the midst of all this laughter, her host brothers arrive home from college. The family is now once again complete. Now, they can begin their traditional Thanksgiving feast.
“I guess it just feels kinda weird, because you’re not with your own family, and you’re just with a family you don’t even know,” Kluessendorf said.
Although it can be a difficult transition, these foreign exchange students also find joy in the holiday.
As the two foreign exchange students discovered the festivities of Thanksgiving, they also found themselves enjoying the Black Friday sales that come along with the feast. Whether it was online shopping or in person shopping.
“In Germany, we also have Black Friday, but it’s not that big of a deal. It’s not like everybody goes shopping. We kind of have it because America has it,” Nehlich said.
As both Kluessendorf and Nehlich build a home far away from home, they also build new and fond memories they can someday look back at with joy, including the experience of trying a new holiday.
“I feel like new holidays in new countries (are) like (a) big culture thing you learn, and to do it with Americans together and in America, it’s a very good experience,” Nehlich said.
