By: Reece Hester International Thanksgiving Lunch was be held on Nov. 22, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving day, at 11 a.m.
 Both international and national students are welcome to join, bringing delicious foods from all around the world. Students are already bringing food like curry, mango rice and pumpkin pie. For the typical American student, visiting family for a meal is a normal occurrence. However, for many international students, a family may be on the other side of the planet. So, International Thanksgiving is here for students to come together as a family. A family, not of blood, but of friendship.
 Students come together to share a meal, to show thankfulness for the bonds they have at Hardin-Simmons University. Often on holidays, international students stay on campus. However, even from great distances from home, they still find ways to form new families. So if you ever find yourself at HSU during the holidays, there are always others, ready for friendship and to share a scrumptious meal together.
 As the American Thanksgiving tradition comes around, the students sit around and discuss what they are thankful for, often that is family and friends sitting around the same table. A home and experience to share of traveling the world and readjusting to new cultures. After eating a wonderful meal together, the students play some fun games, sometimes a classic Kahoot quiz, and even games from other parts of the world. Sometimes even board and card games are introduced.
There are many holidays where international students stay here on the HSU campus. So remember as holidays come around, there are even some of the students you can invite to your home or family and share the joys of American culture and cuisine.
As Christmas comes around, invite some students into your home to celebrate this wonderful holiday together. There is much to be thankful for throughout the year. The friends we meet, the moments we share, the times we rejoice with one another and those times we mourn together. But ultimately, we can be thankful for the bonds we have created and the people that have our backs, even if it is just sharing a lunch together on the day before Thanksgiving.