I’ve had my fair share of Thanksgivings abroad, but being away for the holidays is still one of the most difficult parts of living in a different country. It’s never an easy time to spend away from family, crisp autumn weather and Mom’s homemade pies, but I must admit that I’ve had some rather fortunate experiences overseas throughout the years.
Regensburg: My first Turkey Day away and I somehow got finagled into making a thank you speech on behalf of our study abroad group (in my less than stellar German) at our host university’s annual English Department Thanksgiving dinner. With some encouragement from my Gastfamilie and a much needed glass of wine, I stepped up to the microphone with shaky hands, and successfully spoke of tradition and the concept of hand turkeys. Not much else from that night stands out besides spending an excessive amount of time mashing potatoes prior to the event and going out for a time-honored German beer afterwards- the latter of which led to a most auspicious introduction…
In an attempt to welcome the new Amis to Deutschland, a few former German study abroad students invited the Americans out after our overindulgence in turkey and pie. My girlfriends and I couldn’t stop whispering about how attractive ‘the blonde one’ was, and after an evening of intercultural sharing with our newfound friends, I was completely twitterpated when he asked for my phone number. I didn’t know then, but that would be the story of how I met my first real love. I was sure that no other Thanksgiving abroad could top that magical evening, but then Thanksgiving 2011 unexpectedly stumbled into my life.
Mojokerto: More than 5 years later and I still manage to get beckoned to the microphone to give some semblance of a public proclamation in a foreign language. Somehow my impromptu thank you speech (yup, my hands still shake when I hold a microphone, even after all these years of practice) turned into a public forum on why I should marry the Village Head- after all, our babies would be the most beautiful in all the Mojokerto Land. But the most memorable part of this fourth Thursday in November will forever be the public acknowledgement of Bu S and Bu E’s hard work. Our proposal, PowerPoint, and heartfelt speech won over the visiting mayor who was eager to support and discuss future plans for our English Kids Camp volunteer program.
The Mayor with the Mic, Village Head Looking Down
Shortly afterwards, still soaring on a natural high from our success, I headed off on the multi-transit bus ride to the big city. I was eager to reunite with PC friends with whom I’d partake in service events followed by Thanksgiving dinner at the Consulate General’s the next day. We celebrated our first night together by going out to the highly anticipated new Twilight flick. It was a much needed, albeit not necessarily anticipated, evening of in-theater laughing and new group bonding. The night ended with a giant slumber party….
…then started again at 1 in the morning with horrific stomach pains which, in my delusional dream state, led me to consider that I was experiencing sympathy pains for Bella’s semi-vampire pregnancy. I was confined to my bed for the rest of the morning, missing out on the first volunteer event, but was determined to participate in the second. In the interim period I was graced by visits from new and old volunteers alike, each bearing get well wishes and one special ginger infused dark chocolate bar.
Inspired by my friends’ compassion, I stumbled into the shower and managed to get dressed in time to go to the second service event at a local Islamic orphanage. Again, the renowned hand turkeys made their way into our cross-cultural lesson and we spent the afternoon with Mr. Sketch markers drawing on the floor. Unfortunately tracing hands exhausted the remainder of my reserves. Feeling completely incapacitated, I thought it best to stay behind and pass on the much talked-about Thanksgiving dinner…not an easy decision to make.
Very Creative Hand-Foot Turkey
Despite feeling completely debilitated for a majority of the day, this was one of my most special Thanksgivings in recent memory. I realized how strong the intrinsic bond is among the members of PC-Indonesia. I barely know the new group, but that didn’t stop Southern Dan from getting my medicine, Cody S. from bringing me chocolate and Thanksgiving leftovers, Brianna from tirelessly offering saltines, carrots, and an abundance of other treats from her Mary Poppins-like goodie bag, or Taylor and Erin from being my comical entertainment for the evening. It goes without saying that the 19 people I originally came to Indo with are like my family, but I’ve finally come to realize that our keluarga is growing, and will continue to grow as each new generation accepts their invitations to serve in Indonesia.
November 2011 has not been ideal for me health wise, but I will gladly sacrifice a few days of feeling fit in order to recognize how lucky I am to be a part of Peace Corps Indonesia. Although my blonde-haired German and I have gradually drifted out of each others’ lives, he will forever hold a special place in my heart. After this long weekend among friends, I know, without a doubt, that so will the people I’ve connected with on this distant little island of Java. Instead of falling in love with one person, I’ve fallen in love with several individuals who have fortuitously been placed in my life. From my counterparts at site, to my new PCV family, I couldn’t have asked for a better support group to be surrounded with in this long 27 months abroad. And that is what I’m most thankful for this year.
And after a great deal of analysis, I’ve come up with an exact formula for a perfect Thanksgiving abroad:
Tremblingly Holding a Microphone + Hand Turkeys + Falling in Love
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