Close Menu
The Baylor Lariat
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    Trending
    • Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown
    • Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects
    • Baylor graduate charged after killing cats with pellet gun, hanging bodies over utility lines
    • Baylor Football’s Alex Foster dies at 18
    • Board of Regents confirms budget, renovations, new leadership in May meeting
    • How facilities responds to storms, flooding in campus buildings
    • Welcome Week leaders now paid in hopes of increasing numbers
    • 5 Baylor sports storylines to look forward to in 2025-26
    • About us
      • Spring 2025 Staff Page
      • Copyright Information
    • Contact
      • Contact Information
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Subscribe to The Morning Buzz
      • Department of Student Media
    • Employment
    • PDF Archives
    • RSS Feeds
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    The Baylor LariatThe Baylor Lariat
    Subscribe to the Morning Buzz
    Sunday, July 6
    • News
      • State and National News
        • State
        • National
      • Politics
        • 2025 Inauguration Page
        • Election Page
      • Homecoming Page
      • Baylor News
      • Waco Updates
      • Campus and Waco Crime
    • Arts & Life
      • Wedding Edition 2025
      • What to Do in Waco
      • Campus Culture
      • Indy and Belle
      • Sing 2025
      • Leisure and Travel
        • Leisure
        • Travel
          • Baylor in Ireland
      • Student Spotlight
      • Local Scene
        • Small Businesses
        • Social Media
      • Arts and Entertainment
        • Art
        • Fashion
        • Food
        • Literature
        • Music
        • Film and Television
    • Opinion
      • Editorials
      • Points of View
      • Lariat Letters
    • Sports
      • March Madness 2025
      • Football
      • Basketball
        • Men’s Basketball
        • Women’s Basketball
      • Soccer
      • Baseball
      • Softball
      • Volleyball
      • Equestrian
      • Cross Country and Track & Field
      • Acrobatics & Tumbling
      • Tennis
      • Golf
      • Pro Sports
      • Sports Takes
      • Club Sports
    • Lariat TV News
    • Multimedia
      • Video Features
      • Podcasts
        • Don’t Feed the Bears
      • Slideshows
    • Advertising
    The Baylor Lariat
    Home»News»Baylor News

    Trey GregoryBy Trey GregoryDecember 3, 2015 Baylor News No Comments3 Mins Read
    International students from Baylor celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S.
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    By Rachel Leland, reporter

    International students from Baylor celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S.
    International students from Baylor celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S.

    This Thanksgiving, Baylor University international students gave thanks and ate their fill of turkey over the five day break.

    Finland graduate student Otso Tolonen traveled with Baylor ambassador Mary Andrews to her home in Austin where feasting, friends and football awaited them. 

    Andrews had befriended Tolonen and thought the Finnish international student would enjoy spending the holiday with her family in Austin. 
    “He got to experience the food, food coma, football, and family fun that is Thanksgiving at my house!” Andrews said. 

    Andrews said that her family which is quite large, enjoys inviting guests and friends over to share Thanksgiving dinner with.

    “There were probably about 20 people there,” Tolonen said of the gathering. The meal was large enough to provide for the crowd. Tolonen said his favorite dish was the pie, of which there were five to choose from, including chocolate, pecan, pumpkin and apple.

    “It reminded me of Christmas,” Tolonen said. “You have your family together and you eat similar food.” 

    Tolonen, who was familiar with the holiday’s origin prior to coming to the United States, said that the access to American culture in his native Finland exposed him to the history surrounding the tradition.

    “I know it is about the Pilgrims and how they were welcomed by the Native Americans,” Tolonen said before adding that this version of America’s “first Thanksgiving” is often romanticized. 

    In 1621, Wampanoag Indians attended a three-day feast hosted by European settlers in Plymouth colony in what is now considered to be the first Thanksgiving. 

    Tolonen admitted that he had celebrated the American holiday once before when he worked with an American colleague in Romania. The meal was a modest and only consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, but Tolonen was eager to use the opportunity to learn more about Thanksgiving. 

    According to Tolonen, for many Finns the holiday is surrounded by intrigue and it is not uncommon for Finns to host Thanksgiving gatherings of their own. 

    “A lot of American culture has landed in Finland,” Tolonen said. However, Tolonen admitted that the European attempts were not as meaningful as American celebrations. 

    “You want to celebrate Thanksgiving but its not the same because you are with Finnish people and there is on emotional connection,” Tolonen said. 

    Spanish senior Alvaro Elices had also celebrated Thanksgiving before with his American roommate at the University of Sterling in the United Kingdom. 

    However, Elices said that nothing prepared him for the delicious Thanksgiving dinner his friend’s mother prepared in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

    “The mother, it’s incredible how she cooks,” Elices said of Grand Rapids senior Collin Brook’s mother’s talents. 

    Brooks who knew Elices from University Parks invited the Spanish student to celebrate his first Thanksgiving in America with his family. 

    “In the morning we had pancakes,” Elices said. “It was very American.” 

     

    Trey Gregory

    Keep Reading

    Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown

    Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects

    Baylor Football’s Alex Foster dies at 18

    Board of Regents confirms budget, renovations, new leadership in May meeting

    How facilities responds to storms, flooding in campus buildings

    Welcome Week leaders now paid in hopes of increasing numbers

    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Recent Posts
    • Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown June 27, 2025
    • Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects June 26, 2025
    About

    The award-winning student newspaper of Baylor University since 1900.

    Articles, photos, and other works by staff of The Baylor Lariat are Copyright © Baylor® University. All rights reserved.

    Subscribe to the Morning Buzz

    Get the latest Lariat News by just Clicking Subscribe!

    Follow the Live Coverage
    Tweets by @bulariat

    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    • Featured
    • News
    • Sports
    • Opinion
    • Arts and Life
    © 2025 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.