Monday, November 16, 2009
When she was a freshman, Nancy Xiao Liang realized that her scholarship hall would be closing for Thanksgiving break. Unlike many other students, Liang couldn’t go home — she is from Luoyang, China. So Liang decided to follow a friend’s suggestion and sign up for the Betty Grimwood Thanksgiving Homestay Program. Through the program, offered by International Student and Scholar Services, an international student can sign up to spend either the entire week or a day over the holiday break with an American family. For international students like Liang, the program is a chance to engage in an American tradition firsthand.
Video
Thanksgiving homestay looks for more family
Families are needed to accommodate international students during Thanksgiving break.
“It’s a really neat opportunity to get to know about the culture and to get a little bit of the feeling of family,” she said.
Liang, who is now a junior, looks back at the experience fondly. She said she had remained in contact with her “family” throughout her college experience. The program gave her a home base outside of China and allowed her to have an intimate encounter with an American tradition, Liang said.
The program is one holiday option for the University’s more than 1,700 international students, many of whom, like Liang, have nowhere to go when dorms and scholarship halls close for the holidays.
Ece Gurler, program coordinator, said the response from those who participated in the program, either as hosts or guests, was generally very positive.
“So far I haven’t heard anything negative. They always enjoy it,” she said. “Most of the time, the people who apply for this program are already interested in different cultures, so they really like it.”
Gurler said it was a chance for the family and the student to learn about each other’s cultures.
“The purpose is to try to teach the international students the American culture and traditions and make them feel more comfortable with Americans,” she said. “And also, for the American families, it’s a very good chance to learn about a different culture and learn what’s actually going on in other parts of the world.”
Gayle Thompson of Overland Park signed up to be a host for the first time this year. She said she wanted to do this because her kids, who are students at the University, had studied abroad before and had wonderful experiences with the families they had encountered.
“They really got a lot out of being invited into people’s homes to share in the cultural celebrations that represented each of their countries,” she said. “It really meant a lot to them and meant a lot to me, too, that they were able to experience that.”
Thompson said she was excited by the prospect of providing a similar experience for someone else. She said she planned to celebrate Thanksgiving the way her family always had and hoped for a good experience.
“It’ll be interesting to see where they’re from and if they’ll enjoy the various foods,” she said.
The program is over fifty years old. It began in 1954 in a small town northeast of Wichita called Burns. Grimwood and a group of women encouraged Burns residents to invite international students into their homes during the holiday. The practice spread throughout Kansas and was a tradition at the University by 1959.
Currently, the program is short on families. The deadline to sign up for the program is Wednesday. If a family cannot be a host for the entire week, Gurler said it was an option to just sign up for Thanksgiving Day. Families interesting in taking in international students can register with International Student and Scholar Services by phone at 785-864-3617 or by e-mail at isss@ku.edu.
Follow Megan Heacock at twitter.com/meheacock.
— Edited by Brenna M. T. Daldorph
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