Thanksgiving in America

DUNKIRK — The United States has long been known as a melting pot where people of different cultures come together to live and learn.
And that tradition is continuing today in Jay County.
Chinese exchange teacher He Yan Xin said earlier this week that she has been warmly welcomed into the local community during her first term at West Jay Middle School.
She is teaching Chinese language skills as well as Chinese history and culture to local students. But He (in China, surnames are listed first), from An Shan in northeast China, has also been learning about American culture and traditions as well.
And tomorrow she will experience her first American-style family Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving in November is an American holiday, so this is a new experience for her. She is trying to keep a log of all her “new experiences” in the U.S., so Thursday should be a banner day for her.
He Yan Xin said she has already sampled turkey and pumpkin pie for the first time since coming to this area, and she is looking forward to doing so again tomorrow.
West Jay teacher Trina Somers, Berne, invited He to share a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at her family’s home.
About a week ago, He joined teacher Kathy Nelson for a family reunion/Thanksgiving at the West Jay Community Center.
He Yan Xin enjoyed the festivities and her first taste of turkey and pumpkin pie, neither of which is available in the region of China where she resides.
When asked what she thought the turkey tasted like, the 29-year-old teacher without hesitation replied that it was very good and reminded her of chicken.
Nelson said she is glad He Yan Xin will get to enjoy a more intimate family setting on Thanksgiving day. The Somers family has asked He to not only come, but to help with kitchen preparations.
In China, people are aware of Thanksgiving and Christmas, but primarily for commercial reasons, as the holidays relate to big sales and shopping, He said, looking forward to experiencing the truer, family spirit of the holidays here.
In China there is an Autumn Fest Day, related to the harvest season and family get-togethers, she continued. It is celebrated in October at the time of the full moon. Instead of pumpkin pie, the traditional Chinese dessert is moon cake, she pointed out. It is a day for eating well and gathering together with family members.
Another American experience in which He plans to participate later this week is the day after Thanksgiving shopping event known as Black Friday. She and her friend from Berne plan to visit the shopping malls of Fort Wayne early Friday morning. “But not as early as 4 a.m. like some shoppers,” she was quick to point out.
In her homeland, He said she is used to crowds and long lines, so she doesn’t feel that the Black Friday shopping experience in Fort Wayne will seem totally new to her.
But she is not totally sold on big cities either. She explained that one of the benefits of living in a small town and rural area like Jay County is that it’s a lot easier to learn how to drive a car. He recently earned her Learner’s Permit here, and is currently taking driving lessons. Nelson explained that an Indiana Drivers License would be considered valid in China, and once a person gets a license there, they never have to renew it.
It’s also much easier to get a license here than in China, Nelson said.
“Driving — it seems impossible in China,” He said, noting that the traffic is often bumper-to-bumper and there are numerous minor accidents.
“Jay County is a very good place to learn to drive as there is a lot more space between cars to judge braking distances better,” He pointed out.
But even without a driver’s license, He has certainly been getting around the local area and further. She teaches classes at West Jay Middle School as well as fifth grade students at Westlawn Elementary School in Dunkirk. On nice days she walks from one school to the other.
Also she recently accompanied West Jay and East Jay eighth graders on their trip to Washington D.C., serving as a chaperone. “The trip was wonderful,” she said, noting that she got a chance to see a lot of new, interesting sights. She said the fact there were many other tourists in Washington D.C. allowed her to blend in and feel comfortable.
She doesn’t plan to slow down in the coming weeks either. Over the Christmas holidays, He and three other Chinese exchange teachers from other parts of the United States plan to take a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and then go to New York City to welcome in the New Year at Times Square.
She said she is especially excited about going to Disney World, as Mickey Mouse is very popular in China. She is already planning souvenir shopping, as she looked down at the Mickey Mouse purse she was carrying. This will be her first time visiting Disney World, although she is also hoping to visit one under construction in Shanghai, China, scheduled to open in 2012.
He says she is also excited about her teaching assignments in Jay County as well as the quality of her students at Westlawn and West Jay.
During a short break in her schedule, she pointed out that she was very impressed with the Westlawn fifth graders who were showing a lot of interest in the lessons.
“How do you say? They are always full of energy and there is a lot of volunteering, raising of hands.
“They are picking up the language skills very good, and I think they are excited because they are able to make new sentences,” she added. “They are excited and full of creativity.”
There seems to be a positive atmosphere in the class that she feels is extremely important. “If the kids want to learn — you want to teach them.”[[In-content Ad]]