Some would think that Thanksgiving in sophomore Sesina Beyenes house would be very different considering her family is from Eritrea, but it is not.

“We celebrate Thanksgiving pretty much like everyone else, with a lot of food and a bunch of friends and family. The only difference is most of our family is scattered all around the globe, so we invite a lot of close friends to celebrate with,” Beyene said.

In Eritrea, they do not celebrate Thanksgiving so Beyene and her family adapted to the holiday while adding some of their own culture to it.“”We usually eat chicken, lasagna, and some traditional food from back home, plus we have this very special chicken wing recipe which I always try to incorporate into Thanksgiving dinner as a sort of tradition,” Beyene said.

Although Beyene is from a totally different culture, the meaning of Thanksgiving stays the same within her family’s celebration of the holiday.

“Thanksgiving is very important to me because of how much my friends and family mean to me. With so many people having less, it’s important to appreciate everything you have and to not take it for granted,” Beyene said.