U.S. Consul Chris Gunning hosted four U of M students and their families for Thanksgiving dinner.
A holiday tradition for U.S. students in Canada
In a tradition that’s a few years in the making, several U of M students from the U.S. were treated to a special American Thanksgiving dinner this year.
On November 27, U.S. Consul Chris Gunning hosted four students and their families for Thanksgiving dinner. The students were invited to the home of the Consulate of the United States in Winnipeg for turkey and all the trimmings. The annual tradition of dinner for U.S. students studying in Canada began when Consul Timothy L. Cipull served in the position, after he had a similar experience as a college student in Tokyo studying at International Christian University (ICU).
“I received an invitation out of the blue to Thanksgiving dinner at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence,” said Cipull . “It turned out that Ambassador Michael Armacost had taught at ICU and thought it would be a nice gesture to offer a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to students far from home. The intimate gathering — just a half dozen U.S. college students, the Ambassador and his wife — left a powerful impression on me.
“It planted the seed to try to enter the Foreign Service, which I did a decade later. Since then, I have tried to do the same for U.S. students where I am posted. It has become a great Thanksgiving tradition for my family.”
And thanks to Consul Chris Gunning, the tradition continues.