The International Student Blog

New Year celebrations are major events all across the world and each country celebrates differently. In the US, most cities host public events to count down the seconds to the New Year. One city, in particular, is the most famous and that’s New York City. Every New Year’s Eve, up to one million people gather in Time Square to celebrate by watching the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop at midnight.

If you are in the US during New Years, watching the Ball Drop in New York may be the chance of a lifetime. Because it is such a popular event, there are a few tips to ensure you have a good view of the ball drop. Arrive early to get a good view since many people will start arriving in the early afternoon on December 31st.  There are many small events and musical performances to keep you entertain from the afternoon to midnight, check out this year’s New Year’s Eve schedule of events to see what to expect.

Because you will be standing and waiting all day, remember to dress comfortably and warmly since the weather is bound to become colder as you get closer to midnight.

Having friends with you can also help the wait go quicker, and it will also make the actual New Year celebration that much better. You will be around so many people crowded all together that there is no doubt that you’ll make some new friends.

Celebrating the New Year in New York City can be tiring. To sustain you while you wait for the New Year to arrive, bring food and drinks with you. Because you cannot save space, if you leave to get food, you may lose your spot. This applies even if you need to use the restroom, so be prepared before you arrive!

No matter where you are or how you celebrate your New Year’s Eve, we wish you a happy New Year!

For many people Christmas is a time to spend with family and loved ones. Studying abroad can be a fun and rewarding experience however it can be tough if you’ll be away from your family during Christmas. If you are accustomed to spending the holidays with your family and will not have the chance to return home this season, you may find yourself celebrating Christmas while studying abroad. If you will be celebrating Christmas away from your family this year, you can still celebrate the season and make the most out of it.

Depending on which country you are studying in, you may find it harder to find Christmas celebrations if Christianity isn’t a commonly practiced religion. But even if you are in a country where Christmas is not widely celebrated, there is usually a community of people that will celebrate and welcome travelers.

Since you are studying abroad, chances are high that there are other foreign students who have no family to celebrate with. So gather your friends, classmates and other Christmas-celebrators together and enjoy the day. You can also invite your local friends to join even if they don’t celebrate Christmas. It is a great way to share your culture with each others. Remember if your friends are not Christians, Christmas celebration can just be about being together – it does not have to be religious.

If you really miss the lights and trees, consider decorating your dorm room or apartment with lights, red bows and ask your family to send you a small ornament that you can hang up. Celebrating Christmas while studying abroad doesn’t mean it has to be without your family either. On the actual day, call your family and use a video chat, like Skype. Seeing your family can make you feel more included even if you are far away.

What is Christmas without gifts? If you are by yourself, why not buy a present for yourself? Get that new camera so you can record your trip in higher quality, or treat yourself with a short trip to another city or country nearby. Many countries celebrate Christmas differently, traveling will let you see how other people enjoy the holiday.

Lastly, keep a positive frame of mind. Even if you are alone, you can spend it doing activities you enjoy like reading or watching a movie marathon. Go outside, sight see and enjoy nature. Before you know it, you might find celebrating Christmas while studying abroad is not as daunting as you originally thought!

If you’ve never lived in the U.S. or if you have just arrived, you may have heard people talking about Black Friday and wondered, “What exactly is Black Friday?”

Have you ever seen a movie depicting American people waiting for a department store to open and then rush in fighting for their favorite dress or popular toy? That scene from the movie is most likely a depiction of what happens in many parts of the United State during the morning of Black Friday.

Black Friday happens every year on the fourth Friday in November, the day after Thanksgiving Day. Even though it is not an official holiday, many people will have the day off due to Thanksgiving. On this day many stores open their doors early to officially start the holiday shopping season by giving out big discounts. Because of this, large crowds come out in the morning ready for a good deal.

The term Black Friday is widely recognized as the day when retail business turns a profit going from the “red” (debt) to “black” (profit) due to the large purchases on this one day alone.

If you are an international student in the United States, after you experience your first American Thanksgiving dinner eating turkey and pumpkin pie, consider waking up early on Friday after Thanksgiving Day. You may be able to buy things that you want for a great price. Be sure to check out your favorite stores to see their advertisements so that you can choose your strategy on stores to check out the day of Black Friday. If you plan ahead, you will have a higher likelihood of getting the items you want at a deep discount since most sales usually ends before noon.

As we approach one of the major US holidays, some would say a holiday that is bigger than Christmas for many Americans, I thought a posting explaining Thanksgiving and what its all about would help many international students understand the tradition and why it is celebrated.

Typically thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, and this year it falls on the 22nd November. The day marks the start of a long weekend for many Americans as Thursday and Friday are usually days off work, so many have a 4 day weekend.

General public perception is that the roots of thanksgiving lay back in 1621. After the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620, their first year was a disaster and many of them died. However with the help of the local native Americans their crop in 1621 was a bountiful one. To celebrate this crop they held a feast with the native Americans to give thanks. These events are traditionally known as the roots of Thanksgiving, however the feast was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops.

Today, Thanksgiving is a time for families to get together with each other and have a large meal. Typical items on the menu will be roast turkey and pumpkin pie. It is also a time of major travel – and airports, freeways and trains will be booked full of people trying to get home in time for Thursday.

If you are a student experience Thanksgiving for the first time post a comment about your experiences!