International students feast, experience American Thanksgiving
More than 200 international students who came with their friends and families to enjoy an American holiday. Photo by Becca Ewart.
Click here to see a video of the International Thanksgiving event.
Sitting alone in a chilly dorm room more than 30 years ago, Kyung-il Ghymn spent his first Thanksgiving by himself.
The former international student said he wants no one to experience that. For this reason, the University of Nevada, Reno professor has hosted Thanksgiving dinners for the past 20 years and welcomed UNR’s international students and scholars to a massive meal.
Ghymn, a professor of marketing and international business, said he knows how strange and lonely it can be as an international student, living in a country with different traditions.
“If I am in power to comfort them and share a turkey dinner, then I will,” he said. “I wanted to share my love with them.”
More than 200 international students and family members attended the event, in the Joe Crowley Student Union Ballroom on Wednesday. The Office of International Students and Scholars organized the event.
The students in attendance represented the roughly 700 international students and 250 international scholars from 70 countries that take classes at UNR. Ghymn said the scholars are the competitive elites of their countries and will serve as U.S. ambassadors when they return home.
One student in attendance was Lum-Ngwegia Ngwa Nforbi, a 32-year-old materials engineering major from Cameroon who moved to Nevada in 2005. The doctorate candidate and mother of three said she enjoyed the Thanksgiving dinner.
“I feel loved and welcomed,” said Ngwa Nforbi, who brought her kids to the event.
She said the university and community are generally helpful and tolerant of cultural differences.
Ngwa Nforbi obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Buea in Cameroon, and moved to Nevada in 2005.
“There were better opportunities and facilities,” she said. “Good teachers and environment prompted me to get out. Having all degrees from one nation is not competitive.”
UNR student Lum-Ngwegia Ngwa Nforbi, 32, enjoys the 17th annual Thanksgiving Dinner for International Students with her three year old daughter, Mariah, and the rest of her family. Photo by Becca Ewart.
Ngwa Nforbi said she will eventually return to Cameroon along with her daughter Mariah, 3, and two sons Brendan, 12, and Great, 5.
Santiago Brado of Chile is another international student at UNR who attended the Thanksgiving dinner event. The 24-year-old is participating in a four-month exchange program. He said going to UNR and living in Reno is quite different from what he’s used to.
“It’s a very good experience, especially living alone,” he said.
In Chile people live with their families until they marry and start families of their own, so living with other students was an adjustment, he said.
Brado also said his classes at UNR are considerably different from those in Chile.
“They’re more practical, less theory,” he said.
Brado said the American Thanksgiving was a good opportunity to give thanks. He also said he enjoyed the food.
Ghymn said that with such warm gatherings, he hopes international students will positively represent the United States abroad.
“International peace starts with events like this,” he said. “We are building friendships and promoting the United States.”
Ethan Malone can be reached at editor@nevadasagebrush.com.
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