Living in Beijing

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College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virfinia students studing Chinese at Beijing Normal University: Front row: Angela Taliaferro, Ann Fleishell, Eugenia Shawl, Colin Guest, teacher Jonathan Noble. Back row: Virginia Nguyen, Will Nitzky, Heather McNett, Andrea Hampton, Dan Metheny.

About Thanksgiving

For Americans in Beijing, Thursday, November 25 may be a difficult day. Few Beijingers -- especially fellow foreigners -- know much about the holiday. Here's a quick history for the benefit of the rest of the world.

After a hard and devastating first year in the "New World", the first settlers -- Pilgrims -- had a successful autumn harvest in 1621. They were able to enjoy corn, fruit, vegetables, along with fish, and meat smoke cured over fires. They had enough food to put away for the winter.

The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter, and they were "at peace" with their Indian neighbors. Their governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to be shared by all the colonists and even the neighboring Native American Indians.

The custom of annually celebrating thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued over the years. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then, each US president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday. While other Westerners prefer Christmas, American families traditionally gather and eat a grand meal on Thanksgiving Day.

Most Americans vaguely recall learning in elementary school about the first Thanksgiving held by America's early settlers.

What were special and sacred about the event then are values still cherished today: Coming together to offer thanks to life and to loved ones.

But it is not completely sincere to say that Thanksgiving is only about being pious, as it is certainly also a time of unrestrained and unrepentant gluttony-- the ritual of offering thanks requires us to engage in the act of overindulgence.

For many, Thanksgiving simply means chowing down and overstuffing oneself until one reaches a state of catatonic lethargy.

Here are what the College of William and Mary students think about spending Thanksgiving in Beijing.

Dan Metheny: "Thanksgiving is the time when we remember pilgrims. And us students and foreigners over here are pilgrims, in a way, so here's to us!"

Virginia Nguyen: "Thanksgiving symbolizes a time to put aside hectic schedules and problems and simply to enjoy the company of family and friends. Despite being away from home for the first time in my life, I will continue in the spirit of past thanksgivings -- coming together with loved ones, making and eating dinner together, and filling the day with memorable moments.

Heather McNett: "For me, Thanksgiving is a time to get together with my family and be forced by my grandmother to eat way too much. This year, I'll probably have a huge Chinese dinner, since I never really liked turkey anyway. I will miss spending time with my family, but I'm still glad to be able to celebrate the holiday in China."

Angela Taliaferro: "The only difference between this Thanksgiving and past Thanksgivings is that in Beijing we will have chicken instead of turkey and it will be shared with a different type of family."

Andrea Hampton: "Thanksgiving is a new thing for me -- but it has plenty of meaning -- food! I just want to eat a lot. I'll be making pumpkin pie, eating that along with chicken (disguised as a turkey), and sweet potatoes. I'll feel right at home."

Will Nitzky: "Thanksgiving is a feeling of unity -- unity among friends and family. It is a special time of thanks. This is a special day to specifically remember life, family, friends, and loved ones, and to give to those who have little -- giving with a feeling of open-heartedness and kindness. The feeling of giving on this day brings joy within the home and to those around you."