Dads Weekendch is regarded as a happy time for students to bond with their fathers. However, many international students interpret Dads Weekend differently than most domestic students on campus.

Xuezhu Yu, a Chinese student and freshman in LAS, said she feels jealous of other students during Dads Weekend.

“I become sentimental, missing my dad and all other family members,” Yu said. “On Dads Weekend, I try to shift my focus on hanging out more with international friends whose fathers also could not visit UIUC so that I could avoid thinking about this special day too much.”ch

Jian Zu, junior in LAS, has been away from his homeland, China, for six years.

“I don’t have any feeling for Dads Day because this is the day that I cannot get involved. My dad cannot come to the U.S. due to his hectic schedule. Besides, I have no experience for this day in China. So, I am fine with it,” Zu said.

Yi-Wei Chiu, a Taiwanese student and junior in LAS, has been in the U.S. for five years. He won’t be able to spend the weekend with his father.

“Actually, I invited him for Dads Weekend, but he couldn’t make it due to his job. Besides, the distance from Taiwan to U.S. is too long. It takes almost one day to arrive in U.S. from Taiwan by flight,” Chiu said.

Julio Cesar, cha Brazilian international student, expressed feelings of sadness toward Dads Weekend. He explained that he used to celebrate a similar holiday in Brazil, where he would prepare surprises, gifts and a good lunch. However, going to school at the University has changed the tradition for him.

“Now that I am in (the) U.S., apart from my family, Dads Day is a painful day for me. It is just a day that I miss everything related to my family, as well as my home country,” Cesar said.

Many international students, including Yu, Zu, Cesar and Chiu, do not want to participate in any Dads Weekend events on campus. However, they are eager to do activities together or at least call their fathers.

“I would make a phone call or Skype with my dad to listen his voice on Dads Day because I barely talk to my dad, trying not to make him worried about me,” Yu said.

Chiu said he would like to spend time in the U.S. with his parents at some point if time allows, because he only gets to spend one or two weeks with his parents every year.

“So I want it to be special. When we meet, we talk over diverse topics while traveling. This year, we went to New York together,” Chiu said.

Zu said he wants to take his parents to Chicago sometime because he’s never been there.

“I also want to write poems for my dad while traveling together because that is our unique way to communicate. I think it is fun to do with my dad,” Zu said.

[email protected]

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story stated that Yi-Wei Chiu is from China, when he is in fact from Taiwan. The Daily Illini regrets this error.