By Monica Green/features@trcle.com
Thanksgiving is a time of tradition, family and food for Americans.
But Naima Nyberg, a senior foreign exchange student at Cleburne High School, experienced her first Thanksgiving this year.
“I read about Thanksgiving in English class, but I haven’t had it,” she said.
Nyberg is from Sweden, where she said they celebrated Christmas, Easter and Halloween.
“None of them are as big a deal there,” she said.
She had an early Thanksgiving with her host family, the McConathys, and received invitations to several more.
“I’ve been invited by a lot of my friends to go to Thanksgiving with their families,” she said. “I get like four Thanksgivings.”
Nyberg arrived in Cleburne on Aug. 17 and will stay until June.
Her host family indulged her culture by cooking Swedish meatballs.
She said she didn’t really have any expectations about Thanksgiving, but there was a lot of food.
“I tried all the food for the first time,” she said.
Her favorites were turkey and cake.
“I think we should have it in Sweden too,” she said.
She has had the chance to experience several other American traditions as well.
“I’ve been to a baseball game,” she said.
Her host family takes her to visit different cities while she is here.
Nyberg is one of many foreign exchange students in the U.S. who experienced their first Thanksgiving.
The day began in 1621 as a harvest festival by Plymouth colonists and Native Americans.
It became an official holiday in 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving.
The holiday has moved away from its religious roots since and now serves as a day for family to gather for meals and watch football.
