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November 22, 2009

International students find home away from home during holiday

Thanksgiving, for most, is a time to celebrate with food and be thankful for family, friends and home. It is a time of comfort and relaxation, an American holiday that keeps family at the top of the priority list.

For University of Louisiana at Monroe international students like Lena Satge, it is about finding a home away from home to experience the holiday.

Satge, 22, is from Lyon, France. She is a senior finance major at ULM.

"I heard about (Thanksgiving) in English class in France, but I didn't know a lot about it because it is an American tradition," Satge said, who came to ULM on a tennis scholarship.

Satge has remained in Monroe for Thanksgiving break for the past three years. In France, "we don't have a holiday for Thanksgiving, and I can't fly home for four days," Satge said.

"The first two years, I would go to one of my teammates' houses or my friends' houses," Satge said.

The third year she went to her boyfriend's grandparents' home, and this year she plans on going there again.

"I think Americans are really friendly. They open their houses for people like us who don't have anywhere to go for the holiday," Satge said. "I just want to say 'thank you' to my boyfriend and the Snell and Ormond family for making me a part of their family for the holiday."

For other international students with no American home to visit, the holiday can be lonely, especially when the university shuts down. For Thanksgiving Day, one faculty member stepped in to organize and event where international students and faculty could gather and eat a home-cooked meal.

Mara Loeb, director of International Student Programs and Services, decided she would introduce these students to the American tradition, with the help of Catholic Campus Ministry. A buffet of traditional Thanksgiving food and a vegetarian dish for the non-meat eaters will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at CCM at 911 University Avenue.

Loeb chose to do this because no one else was offering these students an outlet for Thanksgiving.

"Other people are with family, and (international students) are left behind, so I thought I would give this a try," Loeb said.

There are approximately 150 international students on campus. This does not include the numerous international students who have graduated but are working under a one-year work permit, or international faculty members.

"I'm trying to take care of them. I don't want them to be hung out to dry. Hopefully, I can send leftovers to take back with them if they have refrigerators in their dorm," Loeb said.

"The shorter breaks can be real difficult for them, so I'm going to try and see what I can do to make them feel at home. There's a lot of people who try to make them feel at home in the community, but not usually a lot of them at once," Loeb said.

Thanks to the efforts of Loeb, Carl Thameling, who donated the turkey, Catholic Campus Ministry and some willing volunteers, ULM's international community will have the opportunity to cross cultures and experience one of America's favorite holidays.

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