By squeakyrobot
Thanksgiving was an unconventional affair, but it was close enough to tradition that I consider it one of the best Turkey Days of my lifetime. Although I was in a foreign place, that fact didn’t really make itself known at any point during the festivities.
It’s all in the company.
My program organized an extravagant feast for us. They ordered twelve turkeys, thirty pounds of mashed potatoes, and enough green beans to match. They also ordered enough meat and fruit pies to feed half of Petersburg.
A cooking team supplemented the rest of the feast (students and teachers who signed up to cook a side dish or dessert). I brought in roasted vegetables and balsamic-glazed carrots. It was incredibly nice to cook something again, considering I haven’t truly concocted a dish since June or July. My host mom was cute about the whole ordeal, poking around and peeking over my shoulder to see what I could possibly be doing. She then tried a carrot and begged for the recipe.
On Thursday, a long table was set up along our hallway. The staff arranged all the food and plates and such in a pretty way; it was a shame that it was destroyed within three minutes. The decorating team outfitted our ancient school with turkey pictures, balloons, and streamers of every harvest color. They also created Indian and Pilgrim hats out of construction paper, similar to the type you made in second grade. The director of our program made a brief speech, and then one of the staff announced that we’d be going at the food “the Russian way”, which meant nothing resembling lines or order.
Students feared there wouldn’t be enough food for the 120 guests, but everyone was able to roll out of the building and waddle home, eventually. Students brought in pumpkin pie (made from scratch), sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, mac & cheese, and homemade gravies. Then we took seats in empty classrooms and laughed and ate. Someone found a guitar after a while, but we sang songs like American Pie and Backstreet Boys greatest hits. It was merry.
When the festivities ended, my large group and I headed out for a Thanksgiving beer. Like I said, it was an unconventional holiday.
While I wasn’t with my family this Thanksgiving, I was with a different family. This gave me little to miss. There is one component that makes or breaks an American Thanksgiving: the people you’re with. If I'm surrounded by good people who make me laugh and smile, it will be a good holiday, even if we’re eating Chinese food or pizza. The delicious and nostalgic food made the evening better, but I consider myself lucky to have met the group of people I did. I feel honored to have shared Thanksgiving Day with them, and I will certainly look back on this day with a smile.