Well, another Turkey Day has come and gone and, though there was no turkey consumed this year, it was a solid Thanksgiving celebration!
Living abroad is really fun. You're constantly encountering new things whether that is a new food, a new word in a new language or a new friend. It's easy to find the excitement in all this newness. However, it's also very easy to miss what you're used to.
There is nothing in this world that can replace the comfort of being surrounded by all the people you care about most, and there is nothing that can make me miss home more than family and friends getting together and not being able to join in. I know every time a birthday, a holiday, or even a simple dinner party with friends rolls around I will be disappointed that I cannot join, and I know it's something that will take time to get used to. However, with all the newness around here, comes along the opportunity to share tradition and create new ones too! That's why as Thanksgiving approached, I felt the need to plan a dinner. I knew it wouldn't be the same as it was at home, but it was the perfect opportunity to ward away a heavy heart and share a Canadian tradition with some Dutchies.
All in all, our first Dutch Thanksgiving was a huge success. We shared an amazing meal cooked by all of us (thank you everyone for contributing!!) and it was the best start to a tradition here. The evening was perfect and I couldn't have imagined anything more. I also want to send out a huge THANK YOU to Sander for putting up with the crazy Canadian in me, to Linda for coming early to help prep (and play Agricola....which might be something we have to do again next year), and to Ted and Jan for helping with the never ending pile of dishes!
Living abroad is really fun. You're constantly encountering new things whether that is a new food, a new word in a new language or a new friend. It's easy to find the excitement in all this newness. However, it's also very easy to miss what you're used to.
There is nothing in this world that can replace the comfort of being surrounded by all the people you care about most, and there is nothing that can make me miss home more than family and friends getting together and not being able to join in. I know every time a birthday, a holiday, or even a simple dinner party with friends rolls around I will be disappointed that I cannot join, and I know it's something that will take time to get used to. However, with all the newness around here, comes along the opportunity to share tradition and create new ones too! That's why as Thanksgiving approached, I felt the need to plan a dinner. I knew it wouldn't be the same as it was at home, but it was the perfect opportunity to ward away a heavy heart and share a Canadian tradition with some Dutchies.
All in all, our first Dutch Thanksgiving was a huge success. We shared an amazing meal cooked by all of us (thank you everyone for contributing!!) and it was the best start to a tradition here. The evening was perfect and I couldn't have imagined anything more. I also want to send out a huge THANK YOU to Sander for putting up with the crazy Canadian in me, to Linda for coming early to help prep (and play Agricola....which might be something we have to do again next year), and to Ted and Jan for helping with the never ending pile of dishes!
