Having and embracing cultural diversity is something that ANS prides itself on. The student body, alongside the faculty, is filled with individuals who come from diverse backgrounds from all around the globe. Therefore, when the holidays come around, it’s an interesting time since everyone celebrates them differently.
In this case, Thanksgiving was right around the corner. It’s an American tradition to celebrate this festivity with a huge meal, surrounded by family and friends, and be thankful. Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated by everyone at school, so it was intriguing to hear people’s view on the matter.
One thing that was surprising to see is how much our surroundings, such as our school, can affect us. Thanksgiving was received differently all around our students, but it was tremendously shocking to learn how much of the secondary student population celebrates it, and how.
A lot of the secondary body said that they celebrated Thanksgiving with a big dinner along with their families. Sofia Cerna, a ninth-grade student, exclaimed how Thanksgiving was, to quote exactly, “an excuse to eat”. From our sophomores, Marco Gonzalez happily stated “Of course I do {celebrate Thanksgiving}, I eat dinner and watch football”. And Gloria Gonzalez, another one of ANS’ sophomores, said that she was going to have a “friend’s giving” this year. Most of the students said that they ate dinner, whether that meant a small one, or going full out.
On the other hand, some said that they sometimes celebrate it, and sometimes they don’t. Luciana Arguello, a freshman, voiced her opinion on the holiday, and how she sometimes celebrates, but it varies every year. Alternatively, others expressed that they sort of celebrate it, but not complete. It was very aspirational to hear some of my peer’s opinions, especially when they said that Thanksgiving was an opportunity for them to spend time with their families.
Lastly, a lot of high schoolers just didn’t celebrate it, at all. A popular opinion was that Thanksgiving isn’t part of Nicaraguan culture, so they don’t celebrate. Most of the students who said that they don’t honor this holiday explained that they usually take this long weekend in order to decompress from school and just life in general. For example, Juan Pablo Barrios and Juan Pablo Valle both said that they don’t really do anything for Thanksgiving, other than sleeping, charging batteries, and hanging out with friends.
Ultimate shoutout to Ms. Gunn, who is Canadian and celebrates the Canadian Thanksgiving!
And to finish off, just in case anyone wanted to know where I stand, sometimes I do celebrate Thanksgiving, but it’s more of an informal event. Plus, I always end up going to the beach, which is the best decision ever.
