No matter what we've been through this year, Thanksgiving came at the end of November. Now that winter is here, Spring will be just around the corner. This year Michigan State University thanks Jim Heller, the Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai, for inviting students from American universities to celebrate Thanksgiving in China. The student representative for Michigan State University was Zhicheng Hai, a sophomore majoring in Environmental Engineering with a minor in Applied Engineering Science, who is also a swimming enthusiast. This semester, he is participating in MSU’s "China-Based Semester" at Nanjing Agricultural University.

Of course, Thanksgiving activities are full of authentic American food～

In addition to the delicious food, the highlight of the event was, of course, a face-to-face meeting with Mr. Heller. Speaking to the Consul General, Zhicheng learned that Mr. Heller’s daughter also graduated from school this past year through an online graduation ceremony. Even with his level of communication with Washington D.C., he could not say for sure whether his daughter could return to the United States for a “normal” course of study in the future. The Consul General acknowledged that this is very difficult time for international students. He understands that their biggest concern is whether they are able to return to classes on university campus in the second half of next year. All the student representatives hope to return to their schools next year. Mr. Heller also showed student participants his photographs taken during the pandemic and his private collection of paintings. The Consul General sought advice from the students in attendance, hoping they could give him some advice on behalf of Chinese students from different schools.

Hai said it was also beneficial to communicate with student representatives from different universities. International students from different schools have different partner universities in China. According to Hai, the China-Based Semester has been a great opportunity for MSU students in China. He says, “This is the first time for us to try different styles of teaching and learning. Because of the pandemic, Chinese international students can remain in China to celebrate the New Year. The New Year is a very important festival for Chinese people, which is similar to the Christmas in the West. Some students have not spent the New Year with their families for seven years. At the Thanksgiving dinner night, we were talking about our hometowns. The Consul General's

hometown is Detroit, nearby MSU. Like me, he's a Detroit Tigers fan, and he loves MSU because most of his friends from Michigan went to MSU." Hai also talked with other student representatives about their first Thanksgiving experience. Most of the Chinese students spent Thanksgiving with their friends in the United States, and they missed their friends. They like the holiday because it is redolent of their lives in the United States. Some seniors from other schools also shared their career plans. This dinner event provided students a chance to share their experiences with each other from universities in different parts of the United States during this time.

This special Thanksgiving dinner in Shanghai brought these students closer to each other, to feel the warmth of winter cold and the kindness in each other's hearts.

This year in particular we are more grateful —We stand together!