Thankful

Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday. It's not just the family coming together or the endless array of pie (mmmm pie), but it the actual intention of the holiday that makes this one particularly special to me. I am a very grateful person- I give thanks every day for the many, many blessings in my life and I love that there is a day on the calendar dedicated to such an act. Plus, I *really* do like pie.

This is the first year I wasn't home for Thanksgiving, which made me a very sad waffle. I was so upset about this fact, that on Thursday I skipped my Dutch class/test and came home to watch Harry Potter and call my mommy. I am very glad I did, because what ended up making my night came next: speaking with other expats! I spent most of the night online chatting with Jake, who's studying in Germany, Kirsty, who's a teacher in Honduras (I think I'm linked to her blog, you should definitely check it out), and Jamie who's in the US Foreign Service in Mexico. We were all commiserating together about eating leftovers by ourselves, seeing our friends' facebook statuses saying they were home with their families, and generally how weird it can sometimes be to be an American abroad. It was really nice, actually.

But do not fret, I did have a Thanksgiving dinner. On Saturday. It was a vegetarian dinner for Belgians and a German and I think it turned out pretty well, especially considering I've never made Thanksgiving dinner before. There were sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, pumpkin soup, and mac & cheese (an all-American substitute for Turkey). Also, since this was an American celebration, there was pop instead of wine. And hugs instead of kisses on the cheek. I also told the story of Thanksgiving, including how to repay the Native Americans we killed them off, stole their land, and left them with alcoholism and casinos. Eat up!

Cooking in another country was a bit of an adventure. I was not able to make pumpkin pie! That was a big bummer, but they do not sell pre-made pie crust. So I bought a cherry pie, as it was the most American type I could find at the store. Also, they do not have cooking spray. Plus, I had to do all the measurements in liters, grams, etc, and use a celsius oven (I kept my Mac out for all the conversions!)

Dinner went well and I think everyone enjoyed it, and just to continue on theme (America!) I sent everyone home with large amounts of leftovers. It was nice to show my friends and my host family an American dinner and have people around me so I wasn't completely alone at Thanksgiving time. I am VERY grateful for that.

xoxo
kw