International Thanksgiving Banquet

Posted by admin on Oct 17, 2007 in News | 0 comments

Melissa Kuenzi

The sushi sat next to the mashed potatoes on the long tables stretched out in the Fraser Lounge as Trinity Western University’s international student community celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada.

The event, hosted by the International Student Program and the Trinity Western University Student Association, took place from 5-7 pm on Thursday, Oct. 4th. International students, their Friendship Partners, ISP student leaders and several TWU staff got together to enjoy a traditional Canadian Thanksgiving.

Alongside Thanksgiving staples such as turkey, stuffing and cranberries, were foods from the international students’ homelands. Live worship music, led by fourth-year student Anna Shimer, was provided during the event. Songs were sung in both Japanese and Korean, two languages common among Trinity’s international students.

“I liked the worship part,” said Wendy Xia, an international student. “It was so peaceful and good.” Her friend Hannah Won appreciated the worship as well, saying “I know exactly the meaning of the lyrics. It’s really profound to me.”
ISP student leader Angela Wang saw the event as a success, both in the fun that was had and in the way it connected students from North American and international cultures. She notes the significance of food in Asian cultures and how it creates a sense of fellowship as a positive aspect of the banquet.

“It was really a place where people can leave concerns about differences behind,” she said.

Wang, originally from China, has spent the past five years in Canada and worked with international students for two years. Wang feels the social barriers experienced at TWU can be brought down if students from North American and international backgrounds “both step up…and try to learn one new thing about each other.” She felt a meal celebrating an important holiday of one culture while honoring the diversity of Trinity’s campus is a step for both in that direction.