Creative Ways to Celebrate Thanksgiving When You’re Studying Abroad
Studying abroad on Thanksgiving? We’ve been there too!
Our best advice? Embrace it.
Trying to re-create your traditions perfectly, cook the same foods that always fill your Thanksgiving table, and celebrate just as you have done back home year after year—without your family there—can leave you with feelings of FOMO, homesickness, and disappointment.
Instead, flip the script!
Leave the pumpkin pie and football behind and enjoy one very different year. Celebrate gratitude, but ditch your expectations, adopt a positive attitude, and shake up your traditions (maybe even create some new ones to take home for next year).
a few of our favorite ways to Celebrate Thanksgiving when we’re not in the US:
HOST A DINNER, WITH A TWIST. If you’re living somewhere that allows you to cook and welcome a group of friends, try a potluck-style meal with an international twist. Ask each person you invite to bring a dish inspired by their home country or the local culture. If you’re studying abroad in Florence, you might end up with a delicious Tuscan ribollita soup or Chianti-braised beef next to your stuffing and mashed potatoes. In Fukuoka, a local friend might contribute a karaage (Japanese fried chicken) or a steaming pot of tonkotsu ramen. And in Lima, you might welcome a bit of ceviche on your table, or swap those ordinary mashed potatoes out for papa a la huancaína with its spicy cheese sauce. Peruvian-style doughnuts made from squash and sweet potato and drizzled with sweet chancaca syrup would make a very autumnal alternative to pumpkin pie. As you gather around a table full of friends and foods from around the world, you might truly feel grateful as you share this moment with them!
SHARE A MEAL WITH YOUR HOST FAMILY. If you’re living in a homestay, Thanksgiving is a beautiful opportunity to share an American tradition with your host family. You can explain its history, meaning, and traditions, and then cook a simple Thanksgiving dinner together, substituting dishes or ingredients depending on what’s locally available. Invite them to suggest a local comfort food that would fit nicely into the menu; you could even ask if they can teach you how to prepare one of their suggestions. In Florence, you might begin with a crostini Toscani appetizer (toasted bread topped with chicken liver pâté) or enjoy a castagnaccio for dessert (a rustic chestnut flour cake from the Tuscan countryside). In Fukuoka, you might swap your pumpkin pie for matcha cheesecake or add gyoza dumplings as a starter. In Lima, it might be something like rocoto relleno (stuffed peppers) or causa limeña (potato terrine). Share your gratitude with your host family for their hospitality and for welcoming you into their family and culture. You might find it interesting to ask what they are grateful for in their lives too. This can be a great opportunity to brush up on those language skills and learn some new vocabulary.
HAVE A FRIENDSGIVING PICNIC. Sometimes cooking won’t be an option, so it might make more sense to gather some friends and head out for a laid-back Friendsgiving picnic. In Florence, the banks of the Arno River or a scenic piazza can be a wonderful spot for a casual Thanksgiving lunch. Pack panini with prosciutto and pecorino and some cantucci (almond biscotti) to share for a sweet treat at the end. In Fukuoka, settle into a breezy spot by the Ohori Park lake with some pre-packed nigiri (rice balls) or bento boxes. If you’re in Lima, a beach like Miraflores can be a fun option, and you can chat over empanadas and finish with the sweet taste of alfajores (shortbread cookies filled with dulce de leche). To make it feel a little more like Thanksgiving, share some of your favorite Thanksgiving memories, and talk about some of the reasons you’re grateful for being able to share this day with your new friends.
MAKE IT AN ADVENTURE. Head out in the morning with some friends and hit the local markets to find some special local ingredients you’d love to experiment with and then spend the afternoon cooking together with your haul. Sit down together to taste what you created. In Florence, you might find some freshly-baked breads and delicious cheese to craft a Thanksgiving-inspired charcuterie board. In Fukuoka, you might choose fresh fish or some unusual vegetables. In Lima, the mercados could offer up some fruit you’ve never tasted or some local grains that date back to ancient times. You’ll learn to cook with local foods while spending quality time in the company of people you care about, creating new memories.
START A NEW THANKSGIVING TRADITION. Take a cue from your host culture to think outside the box and do something on Thanksgiving day that you might even want to introduce to your family back home. In Florence, a post-dinner passeggiata (leisurely walk) is a popular way to experience the city lights and the cool late-Autumn nights. In Fukuoka, you could participate in a traditional tea ceremony, a social event that aligns with the concept of gratitude in that it encourages mindfulness, respect, and appreciation. If you’re in Lima, spend the day volunteering somewhere, perhaps a soup kitchen or a local shelter. All of these activities align with the Thanksgiving spirit of sharing, gratitude, and creating meaningful connections.
REFLECT ON THE THEME OF GRATITUDE. Apart from all of these ideas, and even if you go ahead with none of them, we encourage you to take time to reflect. Scribble your thoughts in your journal, or take a slow wander through an art gallery in Florence, a contemplative walk along the coast in Lima, or in Fukuoka, a stroll through Shofukuji Temple. Thanksgiving is a time for reflection, acknowledging our privilege, and setting intentions to move forward with a heart of gratitude.
Our Director of Program Operations Sarah Reid, who lives in Japan, shared her experience: “I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving in Japan a few times. There are a few Canadian expats here too, so we usually get two Thanksgiving events. Canada celebrates in October and Americans in November, and we all invite each other. I've never experienced a more international setting than celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving at an American friend's house in Japan along with other expats from Belarus, the UK, Australia, and Singapore, in addition to the US and Canada. Everyone brought a dish to share and we were all teaching each other how to toast in our own cultures. Everyone likes coming together for good food and company, so it was easy to make lasting friendships in that setting."
We think that keeping an open mind, blending in cultural traditions and foods from your host culture, and finding moments for connection and reflection is a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving when you’re away from home. What will Thanksgiving look like for you this year?
