CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - A couple who recently moved to Boston from Colombia is giving thanks to some strangers.
Susana Orrego and her husband recently moved to Boston from Colombia She’s a student at Harvard Medical School and with no classes later next week, she wanted to experience something she never had before — Thanksgiving.
“I said, ‘I’ll make a crazy post if anyone wants to share Thanksgiving with two strangers,” she said.
She turned to the neighborhood website, Nextdoor to ask if anyone wanted to host them and what happened next shocked her.
The post was flooded with dozens of comments and invites including one from Carol Lesser who said they are welcome to come to her house.
Lesser is a nurse practitioner who lives in the same part of town as Orrego and to her, the post was personal.
“When I was a young person, I traveled around the world and strangers took me into their home,” she explained. “I remember one year being in Mexico and a family took me in and showed me a Mexican Christmas, so it just seemed like something I’d be interested in. But I never imagined she’d choose us. I felt like I won the lottery.”
“She was amazing,” Orrego said. “She replied to the post super quickly and said you can share with me and my large family … Sometimes it’s not only studying your master’s degree, you try to experience the culture. You try to understand Thanksgiving and the American traditions.”
Lesser said she could not agree more.
“I think she will have a better sense of what we’re all about in this country, and that we’re here to help her as well,” she said. “I hope it leads to other meetings down the road, and if she likes it, she’s invited forever.”
Orrego said she is excited to try her first bite of turkey.
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