THANKSGIVING

I could not be more thankful for my thanksgiving in Ghana! While I missed being at home with friends and family, I had the opportunity to share the joy of a holiday about being with the people you love and being thankful, with people who I love and am thankful for. And really, what better place to cook your first thanksgiving than in a third world country?

The day before thanksgiving Shane, Katie, and I went to Lydia’s house (the assistant registrar) and checked out her kitchen. She had an oven and a stove (both gas) with the only setting being 1, 2, and 3. We were super excited though because we have not seen an oven in 4 months. Ghanaians don’t really use them. After discovering the oven, we went to Shoprite to pick up all the ingredients for thanksgiving. We made an emergency call to Katie’s mom to figure out how to cook homemade stuffing and also the most important. How exactly do we cook a turkey, oh and it’s not a whole turkey just random leg pieces?

Armed with a list we set to conquer the store. We found 4 packages of turkey legs (probably the world fattest and most skin colored and bony). We found bread, we got juice, potatoes, cream, whole peppercorns, and spices. Then we went to the market and got some green beans, onions, garlic, and apples. Thursday morning we set out at 9 am carrying all of our good’s over to Lydia’s house. For some reason she trusted us by ourselves to produce a thanksgiving dinner for 11 people. We started with the turkey. Katie and I used our hands to rip the skin and then stuck garlic, spices, pepper, and lemon zest under the skin. We poured apple juice around the turkey leg, covered it in tin foil and crossed our fingers. Directions, repeat 4 times because you only have a pot for one thing and the oven is really small. While we were pounding the pepper by hand and spicing up the turkey, Shane was busy peeling potatoes and boiling them. Using a spatula, cream, and lots of butter Shane smashed away at the potatoes and filled two huge containers. We were really excited. The first turkey came out great, but b/c of the skin situation and our lack of utensils we had to use our hands to pull off the meat. Oh and did I mention we at didn’t have running water or electricity?

I made the stuffing by ripping up French bread, using chicken bouillon cubes to make chicken broth, and then sautéing onions, apples, raisins, and walnuts. Mixed it all together and baked for a delicious stuffing!

Katie made a chocolate cake from a mix and we made jello!! We made green beans and gravy and set out the cranberry sauce transported from London!

At the time of dinner we had quite the spread. We had Sophie, Shane’s roommate pasquel, Lydia, Allison and her roommate, and Lydia’s 2 cousins and 2 nieces. We shared the history of thanksgiving and explained it was a day not a place (haha there seemed to be some confusion). We also all stood in a circle and shared what we were thankful for this year. Sophie said she was thankful for her new best friend and I pretty much wanted to cry and leap across the circle to give her a big hug. I am so thankful for her.

The food was delicious and we were stuffed as any person should be on thanksgiving. Sophie and the other Ghanaians really enjoyed the food and stuffed themselves as well. I am a little sad that I didn’t get to have any pie or sweet potato casserole but the day was an overwhelming success. Cleanup was a little tricky but we had running water for a bit so we were able to fill some buckets up with water and team work washing by pouring water out of the buckets! Go Ghana!

I am thankful for so many things. I am thankful that I know what it is like to love someone who had a completely different background and world experience. I am thankful that I know what it is like to jump and dance because the electricity is working. I am thankful for laughter when the water isn’t running or when life feels difficult. I am thankful for the perspective that allows me to know that there isn’t a right or wrong way to live. I am thankful that I can see beauty in the world. I am thankful that I am not blind to the pain. I am thankful for those I love and for those I don’t know who have still impacted my life. I am thankful for life and all the wonder of the world. And, I’m thankful my first exam is over