Of course Thanksgiving isn't celebrated here. Just because one leaves their home country doesn't mean they have to stop all their traditions. Thanksgiving is a great time for the American community to gather and enjoy being with each other. It's almost like going home for the day.
My Thanksgiving week posed some challenges which ended with many reasons to be thankful. I had to do my first visa renewal. This can be a very frustrating and time consuming process. I'm very thankful that things worked out. It was less of a hassle than I thought it would be. I made sure I had all the needed paperwork and multiple copies of each document. It took 2 days and lots of running around but in the end I received my extension.
At the end of the second day (Thanksgiving Day) I was able to join in on not one but 3 Thanksgiving meals! The first was with my friend Sarah. I had a lot of fun and met some new people. My favorite foods at this Thanksgiving lunch were the mash potatoes, green bean casserole, and the buckeyes (chocolate peanut butter balls). Then I was off to my other friend's place also named Sara but without the "h". She's from TX...Houston to be exact. She had the right kind of dressing, some yummy chipotle cranberry sauce, turkey, and wonderful hot apple cider. Finally, I ended the night at Ben and Renee's house. This was probably the most interesting considering the other guest were not American. It was their first Thanksgiving experience. I had a bit more green bean casserole, some sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie from scratch! I was stuffed and very happy.
I was very thankful for my visa extension and the opportunity to enjoy such great food with a diverse group of people.
