I am not in LA with family
I actually had to go to class
It is evidently a gift giving holiday? (my host parents gave me a scarf!)
I haven't seen a single turkey decoration
I ate dinner in a restaurant - where there was no pumpkin pie, cranberry, or greenbeans
And the next morning I woke up and there was sprinkling of snow on the rooftops and back wall of the yard!
Yes, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and though France did the best I could expect it to do for me considering its not even a holiday here, there was something left to be desired. Good thing I put on my own Thanksgiving with friends this summer to make sure I didn't go a year without some of my favorite foods.
But all of these differences have made me think about what I am thankful for:
family, friends (old and new), friends who have become family, France, Lyon, EAP, host parents, amazing directors, scarves, socks, gloves, coats, and boots, traveling, reese's peanut butter cups, good food, public transit that is actually useful, heating, raspberry tea, new experiences, that the drinking age here is 18, snow, and Harry Potter.
Yes, Harry Potter. Which I will FINALLY get to be seeing later today! I'll let you know what I think of it in my next post.
And here are some pictures of our EAP Thanksgiving Dinner: Good, but just not the same.
After all of this, I headed home, and called all of my family. Happy to hear your voices, happy to actually get to wish everyone a Thanksgiving, and surprisingly even happy to hear about the kind of meal I wish I had gotten to have.
But who can really complain when the reason you miss your favorite holiday is because you're in FRANCE?
Dear daughter,
ReplyDeleteI am glad you and friends assembled happily and you were able to give thanks for the French drinking age. You and I will have to share some wine outings when you return.
You were roundly missed by those at our gathering - although we were glad you could join us by phone. I hate to bring this up, but today you are missing Thanksgiving leftovers. On the other hand, for the next few days you will also be missing leftovers, which should be OK with you since you usually were ready to move on to another menu after the second day of this meal.
You also missed bowling night with the Bergs. Just filling you in. I am sure the bowlers devoted some of their fun filled energy to thinking about and missing you. Of course they did.
Love ya!
Dad
No green beans? Not that there aren't plenty of green beans in France, for EVERY large family occasion of my host family...after we harvested 40 kilos (88 pounds) from the garden in summer, there were none left in the freezer when I returned home a year later -- and my host dad always told me that I was going to marry Harry Cauverre (for those who don't speak French, green beans are called "haricots verts" which sounds just the same...)
ReplyDeletenope, no green beans. but i don't really like the green beans i've eaten here anyways because they are usually frozen... and i'm not a big fan of frozen green beans. they must be fresh!
ReplyDelete