The Capital Times
International students enjoy U.S.
By Nat Melnicove
Staff Reporter
ncml2B@psu.edu
When many international stu
dents come to America, they
have a pre-established image of
what the country will be like.
Arriving from India over a year
ago, Ishaan Joshi had always
looked at America through a
Hollywood prism. Now he is
going to celebrate his second
Thanksgiving in the states, and
his perspective has changed.
"Thanksgiving is a very intrinsic
experience of Americana," Joshi
said. "Family, food, it's very
homely. It's the least commer
cialized (holiday) because you
spend it at home."
At the sound of this comment,
Indonesian native Ezra Nugroho
lobbed a verbal reminder from
the other room. "But the next day
is the biggest shopping day," he
said.
No matter how Thanksgiving is
viewed, international students at
Penn State Harrisburg are get
ting a first-hand experience of
this country's most unique holi
day. But how do some interna
tional students give thanks on
America's laziest Thursday of the
year?
Info-tech grad student Joshi has
three options for his second
turkey day. Last year, he went to
the home of a friend, Sean
Pendrak, in Pendrak's hometown
of Scranton, Pa, and that option
is still available. Speaking on his
first Thanksgiving, Joshi said,
"That was nice actually. When
you go to another place, the fun
part is taking part in their cus
toms."
For finance and international
business grad student Pendrak,
having his friends from other
countries over for a northeast PA
turkey day was never a question.
"I've traveled to other countries,
lived in other countries, and I
know what it is to be in a foreign
place and be away from family,"
he said.
Pendrak said, "My family is
totally receptive and the
exchange of cultures is awe-
some."
He added that some students
who come here may have a poor
There was no genocide in Sudan?
By Osman Abdalla
Staff Reporter
oaalo6@psu.edu
Now, finally the Darfur of the
Sudan dilemma has been
resolved and a peace agreement
has been signed and in effect.
According to Sudan.net, the
Sudanese government and rebel
leaders have signed an agree
ment on security and humanitar
ian issues in the troubled Darfur
region. The agreement was
signed after two weeks of African
Union mediated peace talks in
Abuja, Nigeria. In a major con
cession, the Sudanese govern
ment agreed to establish a no-fly
zone over Darfur. The govern
ment and the two main rebel fac
tions also pledged to allow unre
stricted access to the region by
humanitarian relief agencies.
Nigerian president Olusegun
Obasanjo called the break
through a step in the right direc
tion, although he cautioned that
more work needs to be done.
The signing occurred a week
before a special U.N. Security
Council meeting on the Darfur
crisis in Nairobi, where sanctions
against the Sudanese oil indus
try could be considered. U.N.
officials say the Darfur conflict
has created the world's worst
humanitarian crisis, with more
than 1 1 /2 million people driven
from their homes and tens of
thousands killed. Two black rebel
groups took up arms against the
ethnic-Arab Sudanese govern-
impression of the American fami
ly, so experiencing the holidays
gives them a real taste of the
American family. "I've noticed
they are surprised at how family
oriented we are."
They may also be surprised by
some of the food, as Indian
"My family is
totally receptive
and the
exchange of cul
tures is awe-
some."
- Joshi Pendrak
native and electrical engineering
grad student Vittal
Balasubramanian found out last
year at the Pendraks. His first
experience with pumpkin pie was
most likely his last. "That wasn't
my favorite," said
Balasubramanian
Food is a part of the equation
no matter how and where
Thanksgiving is observed.
Electrical engineering grad stu
dent Prithiv Thomas is ready to
experience his first
Thanksgiving. He will be going to
the Pendrak residence for a taste
of the holiday spirit. "I am looking
forward to the turkey and
mashed potatoes," he said. "I
hear they really stuff the bird."
One must do more than eat and
give thanks, so the native of
India is looking forward to the
annual Thanksgiving pro football
games. Thomas is not a fan of
the Dallas Cowboys or Detroit
Lions, however he is a fan of the
traditional mixture of food and
sport which unites family and
friends.
Nugroho, also an info-tech grad
student, says he will be making a
road trip with friends from
church. He has celebrated a
handful of turkey days as an
undergrad in Indiana. Those who
know Nugroho will not be sur
prised that he spent last
Thanksgiving cooking the turkey
ment early last year, saying the
government had ignored Darfur's
needs. In response, Arab militia
men called Janjaweed attacked
African villages across the
region. Residents and aid work
ers say the Sudanese military
provided air support for the raids
- making the no-fly agreement
particularly important. The
African Union is moving about
three-thousand troops and police
officers to the region to monitor a
ceasefire.
According to the European-
Sudanese Public Affairs Council,
it is a matter of simple fact that a
significant amount of the interna
tional press coverage of Sudan
over the past decade has been
questionable. Misinformation
and propaganda wars have been
particular features of most, if not
all, wars over the past fifty years.
The international news media
has clearly been a target for
those who wish to manipulate
the way in which conflicts are
presented. The reasons for this
are obvious. International
"reporting" is in many instances
the only image many outside
observers will have of the coun
try itself.
International press coverage is
also sometimes the only material
many commentators and even
legislators will have in mind
when addressing issues either
directly or indirectly related to
Sudan. Journalists have in many
instances managed to get away
with some appalling reporting on
for his friends in Indiana. He has
been known to appear in friend's
kitchens cooking away.
Nugroho also has other options.
He is sure he could find festivi
ties at a professor's house. "My
sixth Thanksgiving dinner in
Indiana was like that," he said.
"Usually we'd get invited to a pro
fessor's house for dinner."
An option would be to visit the
home of Associate Professor of
Engineering Dr. Peter Idowu and
his wife, PSH Marketing
Manager Panna Idowu. The
Idowu's will be entertaining fami
ly and students for the day. This
is their fourth year of hosting din
ner for students. After coming
here five years ago, their first
Thanksgiving was a small affair
of three people. That has quickly
changed. "This year we decided
to buy a bigger table," said
Panna Idowu.
Sharing their Thanksgiving with
guests has been a tradition for
the Idowu's. Panna said, "My
husband experienced the same
type of hospitality as a student."
She said, "I grew up in a univer
sity town and my mother was a
professor who did it all the time.
So it just rubbed off."
Meeting new students is one of
the benefits for the Idowu's.
Panna explained that they
moved closer to campus to have
more of an opportunity to interact
Dr. Peter !down, left, PSH engineering professor, hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for international students
each year.
Sudan. There has been a mix
ture of simply bad journalism,
misinformation and deliberate
disinformation.
The Sudan News Agency
(SUNA) said the Minister of
The international
news media has
clearly been a tar
get for those who
wish to manipu
late the way in
which conflicts
are presented.
Humanitarian Affairs, Ibrahim
Mahmoud Hamid, held a press
conference in Nairobi, which
brought together representatives
of the local and international
media in Kenya. The minister
reviewed at his press conference
the strategic plan for humanitari
an action for 2005, prepared by
representatives of the govern
ment, the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement (SPLM),
and the United Nations. The
strategy included evaluation of
the relief work as well as the
rehabilitation, development and
International News
with international students,
whose plans can unfortunately
be dictated by a lack of trans
portation.
Electrical engineering grad stu
dent Lakshmi P. Baskaran will be
spending her first Thanksgiving
at the Idowu home. The holiday
get-together will remind her of
family in India. "I miss my family.
I am Hindu and we have similar
festivities," she said. Even
though she has a lot of home
work that she could be doing,
she is excited to spend the day
hovering over a turkey with
friends, rather than hovering over
her notes and a computer
screen.
Associate Professor of
Humanities and History Dr.
Louise E. Hoffman has also host
ed a Thanksgiving dinner for
family, friends and some interna
tional students. In 2001,
Hoffman wanted to reach out to
international students who were
away from family and feeling
alienated due to the social cli
mate after 9/11. She had two stu
dents over for a traditional din
ner. The students, from Thailand
and China, added to the dinner
and atmosphere by bringing
native dishes and telling the chil
dren about life in Asia.
"Thanksgiving seemed a good
way to introduce some interna
tional students to an important
implementation of mechanisms.
The plan also includes the joint
assessment and urgent priori
ties. The minister also reviewed
the humanitarian situation in
Darfur saying the conditions had
greatly improved in Darfur, refer
ring to the efforts that the gov
ernment has been exerting in
this regard, as well as the coordi
nation between the government
and the United Nations and other
international bodies. He said that
some displaced people camps
had been transferred to better
equipped locations, stressing
that the government is keen
about the well-being of its own
citizens. He refuted the claims
on genocide in Darfur, saying
that the whole international com
munity would have been aware
about any genocide if it really
happened. He called on the jour
nalists to get first hand informa
tion about the situation in Darfur
through field visits. The press
conference was attended by the
Commissioner for Humanitarian
Affairs, Hassabo Mohamed
Abdul-Rahman, Sudan
Ambassador to Kenya, Ali
Nemairi, and the Press Advisor
at the embassy, Neimat
Mohamed Bilal. The minister and
the accompanying delegation
returned to Khartoum on
Tuesday evening.
The agreement negotiations will
resume next month discussing
the rest of the issues that fur
nished the dispute, such as gov
ernment representation,
holiday
American custom," said
Hoffman. "Since it's not a reli
gious holiday, students from any
culture could enjoy it."
The Hoffmans will be spending
this Thanksgiving out of town. "If
we were going to be home, I'd
certainly renew the offer," she
said. "It was an enjoyable experi
ence for everyone involved."
Khaled Al Woqayyan will also
be traveling this holiday season.
He will be visiting the nation's
capital and the embassy of his
homeland, Kuwait. The embassy
plans to entertain over 3500
Kuwaiti students from all over the
U.S. Activities include elections
for student organizations, soccer
tournaments and, what no turkey
day lacks, dinner.
The architectural engineering
undergrad is excited for a couple
of reasons. "My first
Thanksgiving and the first time I
see Washington," he said.
Whether visiting family and
friends, experiencing a new holi
day in a new city, going to a pro
fessor's house for festivities, or
planning a road trip, these plans
represent only a small sampling
of how PSH international stu
dents plan to experience some
traditional American merrymak
ing. Their plans are as diverse
and interesting as Thanksgiving
is unique to America.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Peter Idowu
resources distribution, and other
local issues for the rebels.
According a recent Reuters arti
cle, "Peace talks between
Sudan's government and Darfur
rebels ended on Wednesday, a
day after Khartoum bowed to
international pressure and
signed agreements on security
and humanitarian issues with
rebels. African Union mediators
said the talks would resume
around Dec. 10 in the Nigerian
capital Abuja to negotiate a polit
ical settlement for the conflict
that has been dubbed the world's
worst humanitarian crisis by the
United Nations. Now it is clear
for the world that what was hap
pening in Sudan wasn't genocide
at all."
The European-Sudanese
Public Affairs Council speaker
said, "American Secretary-of
State Colin Powell's decision to
describe the conflict in Darfur as
GENOCIDE is set to damage
prospects for peace in the
Sudan." This is for several rea
sons. This action will damage
Sudan's faith in the Bush
Administration as an honest bro
ker in securing peace in Sudan,
either in southern Sudan or
Darfur itself. For Washington to
choose to put electoral expedi
ency - diverting media attention
away from the Iraq fiasco and
pandering to anti-Sudanese and
anti-Arab pressure group politics
- before the truth of the situation
in Darfur will dramatically under
mine its reputation.
World
View
Osman Abdalla, staff reporter
Osman Abdalla
Staff Reporter
oaalo6@psu.edu
Conservatives are the same
anywhere in the world.
Whether they are Muslims or
Christians, Americans or
Middle Easterns, the result of
what they do pretty much is the
same. If it is not war and
destruction, it is pulling the
whole community back by their
revitalization thoughts.
Therefore, they create more
enemies than friends. The
worse thing that can happen is
when two conservative groups
fall into a conflict. This is what
is happening between the
Middle Easterns and the Bush
Administration.
This real world's first chal
lenge is the population growth.
Let us all focus on resolving
this issue instead fighting for
irrelevant thoughts and popu
lation decline. Number of peo
ple living outside U.S. who
have died in wars since World
War II: 25 million. Estimated
number of Iraqi civilian deaths
in the 1991 Persian Gulf War:
35,000. Estimated number of
retreating Iraqi soldiers buried
alive by U.S. tanks in 1991
War: 6,000. The number of
casualties because of 9/11
attack approximately: 2,819.
Looking at these statistics, the
two parties are ideologically
wrong. We should not let that
idea continue in our lives. The
least that can be done is voice
your opinion.
The reason the Middle
Eastern states hate the
American administration is
because of the Americans'
continuous support to Israel,
as opposed to the notion that
Arabs hate the American
administration because of our
the freedom. That is what
Bush and most American politi
cians speculate in order to get
enough votes and support
from the swayed Americans.
And the reason the Middle
Eastern states hate Israel is
that Israelis, as stated in the
Torah, dream of occupying the
land between the
Persian/Arabic Gulf to the
Atlantic Ocean, which is cur
rently occupied by Arabs.
Somehow, there are a lot of
war in the air nowadays. Don't
you think so? Leaves a very
bitter taste in the mouth.
Benjamin Franklin said, "There
never has been a good war or
a bad peace." I say anyone
who think about going to war or
goes to war is abnormal and
should seek help. Mahatma
Gandhi said, "What difference
does it make to the dead, the
orphans, and the homeless,
whether the mad destruction is
wrought under the name of
totalitarianism or the holy
name of liberty and democra
cy?"
However, the main reason for
all this religious and racial ten
sion in the world is the lack of
virtue-reliance in politicians'
mentality nowadays. We need
to rely on a better philosophy
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