For Kenya native Shakirah Hudani '03, going home for Thanksgiving is not an option--the flight is too long and the break is too short.

So Hudani will join a sizeable group of students who will stay at Harvard over the holiday weekend break.

"I was here last Thanksgiving, ... [and] it was great to have the whole community of international students," she said.

Student groups, professors and Harvard dining halls will all offer stranded students a place to go while most of their peers are away.

The Woodbridge Society, an organization for international students, traditionally plans events for the weekend.

Woodbridge Society President Mekhala Krishnamurthy '02 said the group is planning a lunch in Adams House's small dining hall on Thanksgiving Day and a movie night on Friday.

These activities, Krishnamurthy said, are intended not only provide the opportunity for international students to feel more at home during the holidays, but also to give them a chance to catch up with friends.

But the Woodbridge Society is not the only group looking out for students. Teaching fellows and professors sometimes invite students to join them in their homes for Thanksgiving dinner when going home is not an option.