around a lot as a child. “We never lived anywhere for more than two to three years.
I was a bit of a nomad so I enjoy being a host for others,” she says.
In addition to decorating 23 tables and five dining
rooms, Ellis Furst, a mural artist and friend of the
Simpsons, dresses up as the Statue of Liberty “with a
real, light-up torch,” she says, greeting each student at
the door for a photo op. “I feel so strongly that every
visitor to
our nation
should
have their
picture
taken
with the
Statue
{ }
of Liberty that I put on my crown and
gown and pose with every person that
comes,” she says with a laugh.
The symbol of American immigra-tion
may mean more to Furst than to
most people. In 1985, she was sailing
from Tahiti to Hawaii. In the middle
of the Pacific Ocean, the boat’s
satellite navigator broke and she
was stranded for days.
“I thought we would never make
it … I know what the settlers felt
like coming to America,” she says.
Desperate, weary and homesick, she vowed if she
ever got home she would change her name, which was Cindy, to Ellis, in honor
of Ellis Island and the immigrant experience, and for all who have felt lost in a
foreign place.
Now she pours those feelings of isolation into her role as decorator of the
Simpsons’ international Thanksgiving fete. Furst has also channeled the story
of Squanto, illuminating his role as friend to the Pilgrims, as the centerpiece of
Thanksgiving’s meaning. Before dinner is served, she stands on a chair and retells
the Native American’s tale of helping the Pilgrims. “I showcase him as the real
hero of Thanksgiving,” she says.
“Squanto is a beautiful story,” says Alice Marie Cadenat, a UNCW exchange
graduate from Marseille, France. Cadenat attended two Thanksgiving dinners at the
Simpsons’ as a member of the ISO. “Squanto inspires you and makes you think about
how you could help people to adapt to your culture,” she says. “That’s what is great
about being abroad. It’s all about adaptation to a new country, a new culture. And
sometimes it’s great to get that help from local people.”
Tom and Cindy Simpson appreciate Cadenat’s perspective, having both lived abroad
for extended periods, Tom in China and Russia and Cindy in Greece. Taking on the
symbolic role of Squanto for the Thanksgiving feast brings the roles of foreigners and
hosts full circle. “We’re all helping each other and enjoying doing it,” Cindy says.
Last year, one of the ISO leaders, Baptiste Mermet, arrived at the Simpsons’
house on the morning of the dinner and worked all day helping to cook the meal,
Cindy Simpson says. Baptiste never had time to change from his kitchen clothes and
into his “Sunday best” for the dinner.
“He was so wiped out afterwards, but grinning from ear to ear,” Cindy Simpson
says. “Then he said, ‘I can’t wait to do this next year.’”
november 2013
24
WBM
In addition to deco-rating
23 tables and
five dining rooms,
Ellis Furst, a mural
artist and friend
of the Simpsons,
dresses up as the
Statue of Liberty.
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