November 9, 2022

Learn more about Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a U.S. holiday, dedicated to giving thanks for the things we have, and celebrating the fall harvest. It typically falls on the fourth Thursday of every November. Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday by president Abraham Lincoln in the year 1863.

Many Americans generally believe that Thanksgiving is modeled after a 1621 harvest feast shared with the Pilgrims who lived and settled at Plymouth Rock, and the Native American Wampanoag tribe. This is why you see many Thanksgiving decorations with Pilgrim and Native American motifs.

The Thanksgiving holidays are the busiest travel days in the U.S annually, as people travel home to celebrate. It is a time to come together with family and friends, and to feast on a traditional Thanksgiving meal. It is most common to eat stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, collard greens, dinner rolls, pumpkin pie, and of course TURKEY!

Caption: A traditional Thanksgiving meal at home.

There are also many regional variations in side dishes, such as mac and cheese, oyster stuffing, and you may find fried turkey in Texas. Many multicultural dishes are also making their way into Thanksgiving dinner, such as tamales, manicotti, and empanadas. Many families will also have their own personal transitional dishes and sides.

Aside from eating so much food, other traditional Thanksgiving activities include watching football games, and the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, which is held in New York city. The first parade was held in 1924, and was first televised in 1953. This parade features floats, giant balloons of popular characters in pop culture, performances by high school marching bands, local Broadway shows, and Santa Claus is usually seen at the end of the parade to mark the beginning of the holiday season in the U.S.

Caption: A giant turkey float, and cartoon dog balloon going down a street in NYC for the Thanksgiving parade.

We hope you enjoy Thanksgiving this year with good food and friendship!

Written by: Victoria Hudak, International Student Advisor

October 4, 2022

2022 SJSU Homecoming Explained

The Cambridge Dictionary defines homecoming as “a celebration at school or college, usually including a dance and a football game, when people who were students there at an earlier time can return to visit” (dictionary.cambridge.org). This is particularly true of American high school and university culture. Homecoming events at American universities are centered around a special football game that has been designated as the “homecoming game.” It’s a time when many alumni return to campus to watch the game and to join current students in showing their school pride. Curious about American homecoming traditions? View our previous blog to learn more!

SJSU traditions explained

SJSU follows many American homecoming traditions, but there are certain traditions unique to our campus. We encourage you to get into the Spartan Spirit and participate in the many fun homecoming events. You can view the full list of Homecoming events here.

Block Party

Generally speaking, a Block Party is a social gathering for people who live on a certain block or neighborhood. Oftentimes, streets are closed off so that people can walk freely and socialize with their neighbors. The term now loosely refers to a large social gathering to build a sense of community. During homecoming, SJSU hosts a Block Party on 7th St. Plaza with free food, giveaways, music, and fun activities.

2021 Block Party

Golf Cart Parade & Pep Rally

One unique feature of homecoming at SJSU is the Golf Cart Parade. SJSU departments and student organizations decorate golf carts in Spartan blue and gold, and then parade around campus to get everyone excited about homecoming. Typically, the parade ends near 7th Street Plaza in a Pep Rally to cheer on our Spartan athletes.

2021 Golf Cart Parade

Fire on the Fountain

Another unique event to SJSU homecoming week is Fire on the Fountain on Tower Lawn. Traditionally, this event takes place on Thursday evening of homecoming week, and is also the same night the SJSU Alumni Association hosts their Alumni reception. This event features food, games and activities, and a show! A stage is set up near the fountain on Tower Lawn, and many student groups perform. True to its name, the show ends with an exciting fire dance–something that you don’t want to miss!

Game Day Tailgate Party & Spartan Squad Charge

See our blog post to learn more about what tailgating means.

At SJSU, there is a designated tailgate area, near the corner of Humboldt Street and 9th Street (see map below). Tailgating happens immediately before each home football game, but the homecoming tailgate party is always extra big with a DJ, Spartan swag, games, and sometimes free food. Fans are allowed to bring in their own food and beverages, so long as they follow the tailgating rules.

Right before the game, students from the tailgate party participate in the Spartan Squad Charge, a newer SJSU tradition that happens at every home football game. Around 30-minutes before kick off, students “charge the field” from the north gate, run down the ramp and across the field before heading to the Spartan Squad Student Section on the south end of the stadium.

2021 Spartan Squad Charge

So you want to go to the homecoming football game?

Here are things you should know…

Students get in FREE with your Tower ID (don’t forget to bring it!)
There’s usually a giveaway item at each home football game (limited supplies, so go early if you want to get one)
Free Shuttle Service is available to and from the stadium on game days, starting 3 hours before kick off. Shuttle pick up is at San Salvador and 9th Street.
Clear bag policy: Backpacks and purses are NOT allowed. We encourage you to carry with you only what you need. A clear bag policy is a typical requirement at American sporting events; be sure to review what you can and cannot take with you.

Don’t know anything about American Football?

That’s okay! Not all Americans do either! The important thing is to experience the excitement and energy of being at CEFCU stadium cheering on our football team alongside fellow SJSU students and fans. If you get bored, you can always leave the game early and catch the shuttle back to campus, but this is a great opportunity to experience a piece of American culture.

Want to learn more about the sport? Here are some resources:

Football Review handout created by the SJSU football team for international students
A beginners guide to American football

September 30, 2022

Diwali 2022

Diwali is the Indian festival of lights, celebrated in the Lunisolar month of Kartika (between mid-October and mid-November) according to the Hindu calendar. It is hailed as the victory of good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. On this day people decorate their homes with diyas (or deepas) to celebrate light and create a spiritual environment. The place’s ambiance is uplifted by marigold confetti, which fills it with a peaceful aroma and brings happiness.

Diwali is cherished with sweets, varying from one culture to another. They are a gesture of goodwill and a way to welcome guests. Another thing that Diwali celebrates is Indian cuisine, people make the best of their food from their region or culture.

On the day of Diwali, people visit the temple early morning to pray, this is done to have an auspicious start to the day. The rest of the day is spent in preparing for the night, when the festival is celebrated with friend and family. At night, all the members of a family sit together to do a pooja(ceremony) which is followed by the celebration of the event.

We hope that this Diwali brings happiness and prosperity to your life.

To know more about Diwali, join us in front of Student Health Center, 7th Street plaza on Oct 19th 3-4pm!

March 23, 2022

2022 Global Spartan Photo Contest Winners

Each year, International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) invites students to participate in our Photo Contest and celebrate Global Spartan Month with us throughout March. Our goal is to share a variety of cultural perspectives through photography and short narratives. As such, each photo is accompanied by a 150-word-maximum narrative that explains the cultural significance of the photo to the photographer, answering the questions: What aspect of culture does this photo represent? Why is this photograph important to me?

Congratulations to our 2022 Photo Contest Winners and our Top 10 Finalists!

January 31, 2022

How the Vietnamese Celebrate Lunar New Year

About the author: Mindy Sun is a graduate student from Vietnam studying Business Administration. She is a Global Leader with ISSS and also serves on the iSucceed Mentorship Program Advisory Board.

I have been living and studying in the U.S. as an international student since 2014. No matter how long I’ve lived in the U.S., one thing I really miss around this time each year is Tết Nguyên Đán, which you may know as Lunar New Year. I am writing this blog post to share how we usually celebrate this most special occasion of the year to hopefully bring a piece of Vietnamese culture to all of you in the U.S., who may also be international students living away from home. The following is a guide to how Vietnamese celebrate Tết. Enjoy!

Source:https://24hthongtin.com/dia-chi-ban-mai-tet-dep.html