Happy Thanksgiving! (Again)

Well, after 3 days of cooking a grand total of 3 turkeys and 4 chickens, as well as all the additional Thanksgiving trimmings for two separate events, we are worn out. But it was SO worth it!

Last night was fantastic. We had a total of 19 people with 10 countries represented. We were able to start the evening with a short description of what Thanksgiving is (though several of them had wikipediad it out of curiosity) and were able to share how it is to commemorate the first Thanksgiving where the pilgrims had a harvest feast to celebrate making it through the first winter and being prepared for the second. We talked about how they were so grateful to have made it to the new world and were now in a place where they could worship freely. It was nice to share this with them, because Thanksgiving is not a celebration of victory in battle, or the winning of independence, but a holiday, declared officially by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, so that we could take a day and express our thankfulness for all that God has given us, and that it truly international! After a blessing on the food, we all jumped in to enjoy the food. Thankfully, everyone said that the food was great (even though I had been trying to keep it all warm and not burned while we waited for everyone to arrive)

After 2nd, 3rd, and (for some) 4th helpings, everyone congregated and got to know one another. This was a blending of both my classmates and Jeremy's, and both our teachers came. There was a lot of laughter and chatter throughout, in both English and Dutch. Then, before dessert, Kaylie reminded me that we should share our family tradition (from Jeremy's mom) where everyone takes a turn to share something they are thankful for. We really enjoyed getting to know people on this personal level and being able to share that with others. Several people also said that they were thankful for the new friendships they are able to make and for the chance to get together at a time like last night. The room was feeling very warm and sentimental when at the end Keiric wanted a turn. So I asked him what he was thankful for - to which he said, "Sponge Bob Square Pants." I was mortified (I hate that show and have only let him watch it here since it's in Dutch), but the entire room thought it was hysterical and erupted in laughter. Keiric, of course, now realizing that he had charmed everyone, was all smiles!

In the end, I would say that it was a fantastic evening. Several of our new friends, as we kissed good-bye (you know the whole Dutch - kiss-right cheek - kiss - left cheek - kiss - right cheek) have invited us over to their homes, and there were several suggestions that we should do this again (though maybe in the spring when it's warmer and we can BBQ). I also had one girl tell me that for her it was like being at home in Iraq - back with friends and not like living in a strange and new culture. What a HUGE compliment.

This second Thanksgiving allowed us to again reflect on how grateful we are to be in this place and the chance we have to begin all these new relationships. We are so Thankful!
Our Dutch teachers