Thanksgiving in India!

As we approached our first big holiday away from home, we knew we’d have to be creative and flexible.  We all had our own traditions and expectations but we meshed them well.  Overall I think I can say for all of us, it was successful!  The day started out in classic Anderson style, with a morning turkey trot.  Mike and I even made turkeys out of paper and pasted them on our back to broadcast to all of Pune it was Thanksgiving (I’m suuuure they understood the meaning of the random, colorful handprint on our back).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took the day off from work to make the day a little more special and we spent our time relaxing, reading, cooking, and walking.  One of Mike’s highlights was going to the wonderful used bookstore in the area, Sophia’s books.  While I was taking a nap mid-day Mike put around the room little slips of paper that said things he was thankful for about me.  It was a splendid way to wake up.  We made a menu for the big feast and invited two friends for the occasion.  The menu included: homemade stuffing (on the stove from bread and broth), a sweet walnut squash dish, mashed potatoes with gravy, rotisserie chicken from a nearby shop, apple pie with ice cream (store bought, we don’t have an oven), fruit salad, corn on the cob (off the street) and wine.  Surprisingly our first attempt to make a Thanksgiving feast worked out.  We ate to our heart’s content and everything was delicious.  Mike’s favorite part of the meal was hosting it for Ryan, another American volunteering with Deep Griha and Shirish, an Indian who does part time volunteering with Deep Griha and has lived in the states for five years.  Shirish took this picture, but here is the spread and the gang of people celebrating an American holiday in an Indian land:

I truly enjoyed our first Thanksgiving together and look forward to many more.  It was hard to talk to our families and not be able to be there, but we were thankful that we were able to talk to most of our families (even if that meant we woke up at 5 am!).  We talked about what we were thankful for and our wonderful families and friends were extremely high on the list.  We are thankful for all the letters, emails, encouragements, comments, and love! that is poured on us while we are there and away.  Without your support this trip would be extremely difficult.  Thank you!