Dear Lindsay,
Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m sure that today will be both stressful and joyful for you, full of family and food (and the good and bad that both of those bring). Did you make something for the meal? Was it some cool twist on a classic? Did you use a Pioneer Woman recipe?
Probably none of those things, because as of this writing, it’s 6:30 a.m. your time. My bad!
Everything’s a bit wonky because we celebrated Thanksgiving at HD yesterday. If we do group meals, it’s always on Wednesdays, and since I’m the only American, no one really cared about celebrating on the actual date.
Why celebrate Thanksgiving in Greece at all, you might wonder! Good question, I dunno. But it was really fun! We all came to the house at 10 and spent the morning cooking and setting the table. A couple volunteers joined us, so we had ten people eating together. After the food, Dina had me read an explanation of the history of Thanksgiving (Pilgrims/Civil War/Native American massacre – I covered it all). Then we read out the things we were thankful for, written on turkey hands that we had decorated the day before.
It was a really lovely day, full of laughter and stories. My favorite moment was during the cooking, when I realized we didn’t have milk for me to make mashed potatoes. I asked D if she wanted to go to the store with me, so we walked together. She complimented my Greek, which gave me the confidence to debate with her about whether or not people should have pets (in Greek – I debated that in Greek!). This started when we saw two baby kittens sitting on the sidewalk, and D and I fell all over ourselves with how cute they were. Anyway, D and I don’t often have time alone together because of the language difference, and I really loved having a moment with her individually.
I’m thankful today because: You know who I’m talking about! I can say “D,” and you can picture her and know what kind of jewelry she likes to make. I’m so happy that you came to Athens. I hope you’ll come again next year!
But before that…I’ll see you in just two weeks and two days! AHHH!
Happy Thanksgiving, friend!
Tricia
