Thanksgiving has changed due to COVID-19 restrictions in L.A. County, but for Long Beach City College students Maverick Clark, Dulce Marin, and Sherrice Pell, they are still finding ways to celebrate.
Dulce Marin is a modern language student who said, “For me, Thanksgiving is a tradition, even though I am Mexican and my family as well. We use that holiday to update and spend more time together as a family.”
The Marin family usually gathers in Dulce’s grandparents’ house, which is located in Mexico.
“We usually travel to Mexico for Thanksgiving. I have family in different parts of Mexico and the U.S. and we all travel to my grandparent’s home.”
“My plane tickets to Mexico got canceled and unfortunately some members of my family are sick and they are in quarantine. So our family is not going to be able to celebrate it this year together,” said Marin.
“We usually eat traditional Thanksgiving food like turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, and more. But we add Mexican food too. We cook tamales, posole and the entire meal becomes an American/Mexican meal,” said Marin.
Maverik Clark, an electrical engineering student, said that for him Thanksgiving means gathering with family, or close friends to “… share a night with them and talk about what you are thankful for.”
Clark explained that every year his family celebrates Thanksgiving differently, “Since my parents work, we move around their schedule.”
For example, last year’s celebration consisted of going out to eat for a Thanksgiving lunch instead of dinner.
Clark’s plans for this year are still uncertain. He commented, “We don’t have anything planned, I’ll just go with whatever they want to do.”
Sherrice Pell’s plans for Thanksgiving consist of a small family gathering, but this year her brother will not be able to join the celebration due to basketball training in another city.
She mentioned that her family is going to have a small dinner.
“I usually help my mom cook and my family gathers around to have a meal,” Pell said.
“We eat ham, turkey, macaroni and cheese, obviously homemade, potatoes, string beans with bacon, and cornbread. And I will make cookies or a pie of some sort,” said Pell.
The three students said they look forward to the next Thanksgiving, hoping to go back to normalcy for next year’s holiday gatherings.
Marin said, “I can’t wait for next year’s Thanksgiving so I can see all my family again.”