One of the best ways for people to learn about each other is by eating their food and celebrating their holiday. It is fun too. DP
Program connects foreigners to American culture
By Amanda Bedgood
theadvertiser.com: Emmanuel Irankunda had his first taste of Thanksgiving Friday - ESL style. Vietnamese egg rolls were his favorite dish.
More than 120 students from across the globe in the English as a Second Language program at Edgar Martin Middle School participated in an international Thanksgiving on campus Friday. Each brought a dish from their homeland. Tables decorated with traditional autumn colors, turkeys and cornucopias were filled with nontraditional fare from places as far flung as Venezuela and Russia.
Teacher Mona Credeur said the feast gives the opportunity for lessons including recipes, vocabulary and essays about giving thanks.
"It's like we all take a little trip," she said.
But, more than any academic lessons, international Thanksgiving is part of teaching children about a uniquely American tradition.
For Americans, Thanksgiving is a time of food, family and celebration. But for children who barely speak English and understand little about the culture, Thanksgiving can be a time they feel alienated from their peers, who are looking forward to turkey and dressing with relatives.
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