Most days I wake up in France and I am happy to be here, but there are few moments when I get homesick. These are special occasions at home that I miss: birthdays, trips to Miami, weddings and holidays. Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, has come and passed. It was difficult to be away from home and all the familiar traditions, but I had a celebration that was quite appropriate for the occasion.Some friends and I planned out a meal. We decided to hold it at my apartment on Friday because we all had to work on Thursday and no one had seen my apartment yet (this is what happens when you live in a sleepy little town sans young people). We knew that some things we would not be able to find, like an entire turkey, or an oven to bake it in for that matter, but we would do our best.
I woke up Friday morning, went to my classes, took a shower and started preparing for Thanksgiving. I washed and snapped all the green beans and washed and peeled all the potatoes. I managed to find five place settings in my random collection of dishes and rearranged the furniture in my living room so a table would fit. A few hours before everyone was due to arrive I started cooking the food. Because I only have a hot plate with two burners and one very small pot, I had to boil the potatoes in shifts. This was the most ridiculous production to watch. Halfway through my potato cooking, I glance in the direction of my hot plate and notice that the power light is no longer on. People were due to arrive in 20 minutes and my potatoes weren't done and my hot plate wasn't working. I went into panic mode.
I fiddled with the hot plate and realized that the sensor light was broken, but the burners were still working. One catastrophe diverted, but nothing was ready and people were showing up to cook their food so we could eat and catch a train into Metz for a Thanksgiving-themed party. Everyone arrived and did their part to transform my oddly-decorated apartment and ill-equipped kitchen into a fit place for a feast. Lee Anne saved my potatoes and everyone helped carry the table into the living room. We set up a buffet on the side bar and had a feast fit for a king. We ate mashed potatoes, turkey fillets, stuffing, green beans, carrot puree (instead of sweet potatoes) and apple pie that was baked in a toaster oven. As I sat down to eat I wasn't homesick, but happy to be where I was.
