I was a little sad that I couldn't celebrate Thanksgiving with my family, but I did learn how to have Thanksgiving in a country that obviously does not celebrate this holiday, or even have pumpkins.
We had classes on Thursday, but that didn't set back the girls and I who planned to have a Thanksgiving feast that night. We scoured the supermarket for any Thanksgiving like foods, took our goods back to our various kitchens, and set about preparing our designated dishes. I was in charge of the sweet potato souffle and sweet potato pie. I had to buy a million and one sweet potatoes because here they are the size of Vienna Fingers. Samanthi, the maid, helped me peel the potatoes. Then I bonded with my host sister as we threw sugar, eggs, milk and cinnamon into various bowls, and mashed the potatoes into oblivion. My friends insisted on putting marshmallows on the souffle (what the heck?) but I complied, and sprinkled the dish with pink and yellow heart shaped marshmallows. Marshmallows are more of a sweet snack for children, I learned, instead of for hot cocoa or s'mores.
The spread was impressive. Sliced deli turkey, french bread, gravy from a packet, stuffing from a box, cranberry sauce from a can, mashed potatoes from a bag, and chai. Afterward, we ate homemade pecan pie and sweet potato pie. It more than sufficed for a Thanksgiving abroad. More importantly, we were thankful for the support we provided each other in a place that is so extremely different from home and thankful for the opportunity to gather as we did to celebrate Thanksgiving.
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