While most Duke students spent Thanksgiving Break surrounded by family and friends at home, others found themselves stuck on campus.
But the students who stayed at Duke did so for a variety of reasons and were able to find enough activities to stay occupied.
"We get to go home for Christmas break in a few weeks," freshman Tony Jiang said. "And flying is a hassle for me.... I wanted to get some work done."
Sophomore Pronoy Sarkar spent the break on campus because home for him is across the country.
"I'm from Los Angeles and it's just too expensive to go back, especially with Winter Break only two weeks away," Sarkar said. "My family usually has a huge gathering and I had to miss out on it."
But not all students who stayed had to miss out on an annual family tradition. Some students stayed on campus because home was around the world. And for these international students, it was their first Thanksgiving.
"I'm from Shanghai and there's no Thanksgiving in China," freshman Zhirui Zhu said.
To make their first Thanksgiving memorable, Hsiao-Mei Ku, associate professor of music and faculty-in-residence for Pegram Residence Hall, invited international students and other freshmen still on campus to her apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. She created a feast that was a fusion of traditional holiday dishes-such as roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole-and ethnic dishes such as pan-fried dumplings. The dinner concluded with a splendid array of pies, brownies and ice cream.
"It was my first Thanksgiving dinner," said freshman Shengnan Xiang, an international student from Singapore. "The desserts were good and the turkey was not bad either. It was the first roasted turkey that I'd ever seen."
Despite the festivities surrounding Thanksgiving dinner, the empty campus did not offer much entertainment.
"It was such a boring break," freshman Tony Gouw said. "Nothing happened. No one was here. It was just, like, me-and me."
Freshman Jin Young Kim took the opportunity to unwind before impending finals week. The international student from South Korea said she spent the break sleeping and watching movies.
A few students made good use of the silence on the deserted campus, choosing to study and prepare for finals. Sarkar said he spent most of his time reading.
Another major challenge facing those left behind was finding food. With almost all of the campus eateries closed, vending machines, Whole Foods and Ninth Street were popular options for students.
"More eateries should open," Xiang said. "I spent so much time going to places for free food, buying food, cooking food and savoring it after it was finally ready."
For junior Mimi Zhang, the challenge of finding food was a driving incentive for her to cook in her apartment, as she hosted Thanksgiving dinner Thursday.
But Zhang, who stayed on campus for Thanksgiving break last year as well, didn't feel too homesick during the holiday.
"I'm Asian. My family doesn't make a big deal out of Thanksgiving," she said. "And it's so close to finals. I'm fine with staying on campus for break."
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