Brazilian and American Students Share “Traditional” Thanksgiving

São Paulo

Gabriela Macena - Community Colleges Initiative 2010

US and Brazilian students joined CAO Scott Whitmore at home to celebrate Thanksgiving

Family, friends, food and football best describe Thanksgiving.  Fifteen US and Brazilian students joined CAO Scott Whitmore at home to celebrate this uniquely American feast.  All of the Brazilians had spent at least a year in the United States and when the traditional meal of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce – as well as just desserts, they were happy to share their Thanksgiving memories.  After the meal, they sat down to take part in the other Thanksgiving rituals – watching football and wondering how their stomachs could be so full. After a short course on the basics of American football, a very intricately designed game, the alumni put a Brazilian twist on one final tradition -- the backyard touch football game -- playing a spirited game of futbol that proved that soccer is truly an international pastime. 

The dinner provided a means for us to keep in touch with our student alumni but it also served to bring both US and Brazilian students together to develop new friendships that will last a lifetime. 

The Public Affairs section is committed to maintaining our vibrant alumni network and organizes cultural events on a regular basis for our former exchange participants as a way to stay in touch.  We also encourage our exchange program alumni to stay in touch through the State Alumni website at https://alumni.state.gov which has information on job opportunities, scholarships, grant competitions and offers free access to many research databases and online materials.