Review: Fall Fest
The Winter season is finally here, and for many Americans one of the distinguishing events which marks this change is Thanksgiving celebrations. Though students in the U.S. most often celebrate this holiday by returning home and spending time with their families, studying abroad poses a logistical challenge for students attending AUP. To combat this, and to keep the holiday spirit high, first-year students organized Fall Fest in honor of Thanksgiving and all who could not return home for the holiday.
Like many who are experiencing living far from home, Chandler Gillyard expressed the challenges of being separated from her family during the holiday season. “This was my second fall semester at AUP, and it was one of the first times I was extremely bummed out about not being home for Thanksgiving. I was recommended Fall Fest by some other students, and it turned out to be a lot of fun,” she said. “I especially appreciated the event because I was super homesick. My entire family was at home celebrating without me, so it really put me at ease to do a Thanksgiving event with a lot of people.”
Sarah Salama, an assistant organizer of the event and the undergraduate vice president, expressed how impressed she was with its turnout. “The fact that everyone got to sit at a table with their friends and eat family style at a buffet was really awesome, especially for people who were experiencing being so far from home for the first time,” Salama said. “The first-year class representatives did an amazing job reviving this event. We haven’t had Fall Fest like this since before the pandemic about three years ago.”
Salama said that their organization of holiday functions amid the pandemic were less impactful. “Last year they tried to do something similar, but it didn’t really work. Although the first-years at the time tried their best, they just weren’t able to plan a community-sized dinner at the time because of Covid, so they had students grab take-away bags for home. It really took away any real Thanksgiving vibes.”
Image Credit: Sarah Salama
Salama said the Student Government Association helped to fund the event, in addition to calling on the Amex to participate, who assisted by providing and cooking the meat. To help direct students, set-up tables, and handout food, volunteers from both the AUP staff as well as the student body were called upon and integrated into the organization process.
“I think the fact that we hosted this event on campus actually turned out better” Salama explained. “We had professors and other staff members assist in the event, including security and mailroom workers. Also, Antonin did an incredible job, and made more than 35 turkeys out of the kitchen in the Amex. He and his cook started cooking early in the morning and didn’t finish until the evening, closing the Amex kitchen during that time to focus on the turkeys. All in all, it was a nice to see all of us come together to make Fall Fest happen.”
Despite hosting on the 1st floor of the Combes building, both student volunteers and the faculty did a wonderful job of creating an authentic Thanksgiving atmosphere for the attendees. Lights were appropriately dimmed in each room, tables were tidy and decorated, and even the soundtrack from Harry Potter was played, transforming Combes from a floor of classrooms to an authentic and even magical dining area.
Students were encouraged to bring a dish of their choice. On the various food tables spread across the dinner areas were a wide variety of meals – both traditional Thanksgiving cuisine and not. Students were able to choose common Thanksgiving dishes such as turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, all while having their choice of French tarts, croissants, and other pastries.
Image Credit: Sarah Salama
"There was so much food. Everyone brought dessert," said Rachel Avila, a student volunteer who helped at the event. "There were all sorts of stuff out there – Pumpkin pie, tiramisu, cobbler, brownies, and more. Just so much variety."
Avila said that she overheard students express appreciation for the meals offered. “As the event was winding down, I heard a lot of students talk about how satisfied they were with the food. For a lot of them, this was the only time they could come together and enjoy a home cooked meal with their fellow students and professors.”
