“Thanksgiving is a time with family and of reflection,
and to be able to share that and give them an authentic
American experience is what we value most about this
celebration,” Tom Simpson says. During the six years
of hosting the Thanksgiving meal, the Simpsons’ house
has had students from as many as 23 countries including
Australia, Saudi Arabia, Chile, China, Ecuador, France,
Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Even though the food is far superior to what they
get in a dorm, the students don’t just come for the
food. They come for the cultural experience.
“All of us international students have been told,
in our respective countries, about this unique
American tradition,” says Anne-Laure Marny, a
21-year-old exchange student from France
who attended the 2012 dinner. “I think we could
all say it is the best first Thanksgiving we’ll ever
{ } “Thanksgiving is a
have,” she says. “The Thanksgiving spirit
gathered us
as one big
family. My
parents and
friends were
really excited
to hear about
this typical
American
event.”
Maxime
Ueberschlag, 21,
also from France,
is studying
finance at UNCW. “So many people are
willing to help, everybody brings a good
mood to the event, and it ends up being
like a personal Thanksgiving dinner, even
though there’s almost 200 people there,”
Ueberschlag says.
“For many foreign students, it’s rare to be
invited into a professor’s home,” says Nivine
Richie, professor of finance at UNCW. “Having
this meal at the Simpsons’ instead of on campus
makes it more significant,” she says. Like other
members of the Faculty Commons group, which
helps organize the event, Richie, who was born
in Egypt and speaks Arabic and English, helps
acclimate the students to the holiday and to the
Simpson home specifically.
Last year Richie was able to speak with a husband
and wife from Saudi Arabia who spoke no English.
“They really enjoyed finding someone else who
spoke Arabic,” she says. Richie says she moved
23
time with family and
of reflection, and to be
able to share that and
give them an authentic
American experience
is what we value most
about this celebration,”
Tom Simpson says.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAT RICHIE
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM