Thanksgiving in Germany

It was a bit odd walking into school on Thursday the 22^nd and realizing that I would usually be waking up to the smell of Turkey in the house and the Macy’s Day Parade on TV. It was also my sisters 18^th Birthday, so the day was extremely busy with presents, family, and lots of cake. In a way I still got my Thanksgiving feast, just completely German style. I also went all out and baked a pumpkin pie for my host family which we later enjoyed on Sunday when all the birthday partying had died down a bit. I’m pretty sure my host mom thought her kitchen would never look the same (I make quite the mess everytime I cook anything,) but everything turned out well and the pumpkin pie was delicious! And… turkey wasn’t completely lost. I have a friend here in Herne from Michigan that works as an O’Pair, and she was fortunately brave enough to throw together an entire Thanksgiving meal. I went over by her house on the weekend and it was a great time enjoying a good old turkey and mashed potatoes meal. Thanksgiving also gave me a chance to think about all the things I have to be “dankbar” for here. Two great families, truly great friends across the globe, and an amazingly, challenging, life-changing opportunity at hand. I was happy to be able to bring a part of Thanksgiving to Germany and share a special part American culture with my host family and friends.