Holiday opportunity to travel for some

For international college student Menglin Wong, Thanksgiving means traveling to places he’s never been before.

Wong, a senior from China attending Eastern New Mexico University, said he is taking advantage of the five-day break from school to go to Las Vegas, Nevada, with friends.

“If I could go home I would, but the time is not enough,” Wong said.

Wong said he will be traveling to Nevada by car and will meet up with fellow international students from Saudi Arabia to spend Thanksgiving taking in the sights in Las Vegas.

Barjas Alhjelan, a senior from Saudi Arabia, said he will also be traveling to Las Vegas for the break.

He said he is looking forward to the more than 12-hour drive to Nevada.

“I’m excited to see Las Vegas,” Alhjelan said, “I also hope to see something interesting on the road on the way up. I want to see some things like the Grand Canyon on the way.”

Alhjelan said he will be meeting up with Wong in Vegas.

For international students who don’t travel during the break, the Thanksgiving holiday is a time for rest, relaxation, and getting in some extra study time.

Sophomore Maria Santare of Spain said she doesn’t have any solid plans for the holiday, but hopes to hang out with friends.

“I’ll probably just treat it like a regular day,” Santare said.

She said she might attend one of her professors’ Thanksgiving dinners.

Santare said she has taken part in the Thanksgiving day festivities when she was an exchange student is high school.

Santare said she likes the holiday and the generosity it brings out in people.

“It’s good to have a day to give thanks, I think we should be thankful everyday,” Santare said.

Sultan Alsabi of Saudi Arabia said he usually spends Thanksgiving with his American friends. He said this year he is traveling to Las Vegas with friends, but enjoyed Thanksgiving in 2013 with a friend in the states.

“I love it,” Alsabi said of Thanksgiving, “I like the tradition. It brings family together.”