I think I've finally been in Samoa long enough that things don't phase me anymore. Was Thanksgiving in Samoa really weird? I honestly couldn't even tell you. I CAN tell you that Jackie and I were very proud of ourselves for hosting our very first ever Thanksgiving Dinner sans parents, with all of the staples INCLUDING a turkey.
Because I currently have so few words for what the weekend was like, I think I'll just post pictures instead.
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| Thanksgiving festivities started with a Turkey Run on Wednesday morning |
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| And then the Traditional Thanksgiving Eating Contest: a can of cold spaghetti, a can of mackerel, and, for dessert, a piece of cake... YUM! (The kid on the far right won. His prize was the turkey we ate the next day!) |
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| Also traditional: each class dressed up a turkey. This is the freshman turkey. |
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| Sophomore turkey!!! GO SOPHOMORES!!! |
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| Junior turkey, aka Cat. |
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| The senior turkey... there was a miscommunication and they thought it HAD to be cooked... still my favorite. |
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| Kids posing for pictures. |
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| Bad ass. |
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The kid in the orange asked if I would show his picture to everyone back in the states... here is the beginning of his fame.
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And now, on the home front:
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| Jackie and I LOVE HOLIDAY CRAFTS. |
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| The Samoan Thanksgiving breakfast we started the day with... or half of it. These are the leftovers... |
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| Casually thawing our turkey in the laundry bucket. Not worried about it. |
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| Biscuits!!! |
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| Not a HOLIDAY CRAFT, just a LIFE CRAFT. This is totally not directed at anyone in particular. Just general things we've noticed.... |
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| A Very Samoan Centerpiece for the table, featuring coconuts, a breadfruit, and bananas. Made completely out of stuff we can find in our yard... |
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| The turkey!!! Thawed!!! With the guts removed (one of my prouder moments of the day/my life)!!! Stuffed!!! WE ARE SO IMPRESSED WITH OURSELVES! |
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| In the oven! |
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| Annndddddd 3.5 hours later.... the finished bird. It was delicious. |
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| The line of food... all of the Thanksgiving staples (except gravy, but who even likes that?) |
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| The table... notice turkeys and centerpiece. |
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| For all these things we are thankful... |
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| AND: The Hannukkah Candle!!!! |
Thanksgiving was pretty great, and I was really proud that Jackie and I were able to make a very American Thanksgiving on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean. It will certainly be a good Thanksgiving story to tell: the first time I made Thanksgiving dinner, I was in the South Pacific... I did realize, though, that this was the first Thanksgiving I spent away from my family, and this will be the first Christmas I spend away from my family, both real and Claver. I'm definitely going to miss some of the normal traditions I have gotten used to.
THERE IS A BRIGHT SIDE, THOUGH: in 17 days, we will be boarding a plane to take us on VACATION. Instead of skiing, I'm going to spend my Christmas laying around on beaches, learning to surf (hopefully), and going to restaurants. And bars. And supermarkets. And that is all very, very exciting. And, to sustain me until this glorious thing called vacation comes... Jackie and I have continued on with our Holiday Crafts. Might I say it's beginning to look (a tiny bit) like a (very tropical) 602 Christmas Wonderland in the last house in Faleasao?
I hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving wherever you happen to be, and I hope you're all enjoying the Christmas season! Keep me and my friends here in your thoughts, prayers, and Christmas wishes, and, more importantly, send happy thoughts to Interisland Airways... our only way off the island in 3 weeks. Keep those planes flying!
