Thanksgiving Day 2.0

Last year I spent Thanksgiving day in my classroom trying to teach my students a little about one of my favorite holidays.  The whole day felt a little surreal and I think my attempts to teach my students the joy of the holiday only increased my homesickness.  

 

This year I opted for a different approach.  I took a day of annual leave, something PCVs usually reserve for days out of the country, in order to attend a very special Thanksgiving at the American Ambassador's Residence.  Ambassador Gitenstein and his wife have graciously invited the Peace Corps community into their home along with Embassy staff and other foreign dignitaries during their time in Romania.

It was a lovely event; I was able to see some fellow volunteers that I rarely get to see and meet some new friends from the expat community. Ambassador Gitenstein and Mrs. Gitenstein shared their traditions, saying a prayer and blessing the challah.

Everyone is attendance enjoyed an amazing spread, including a delicious bread pudding made by Ambassador Gitenstein! It was a nice was to spend my second Thanksgiving in the country.

There and Back Again

For the past couple weeks I was back in the States reconnecting with my family, attending my cousin's wedding, seeing friends and generally enjoying the bounties of life states.  This will be my only trip back during my 27 month service and going back for a wedding was perfect because it meant getting to see more family than I would have been able to otherwise.

My first stop in the states was in New Hampshire.  I arrived 4 days before the wedding so that I could spend a little time with my family, the beautiful bride: Corona, and try to adjust to the correct time zone.  I also was lucky enough to get to do a presentation about my Peace Corps experience to an education class at Keene State College.  The students asked wonderful questions and it helped me think about my service in a new way.

As for the wedding, I don't think I can even do it justice by writing about it. It was just too prefect!  It was so lovely to get to see my dear cousin get married to an amazing guy and to see two families come together as one.

Celebrating with the bride

Following the wedding I then flew back to Seattle with my parents.  The time in Seattle flew by, but I was able to reconnect with quite a few friends and to meet some new members of my friends' families.  I got to meet Cecelia, daughter of Eliza and Daniel, who was born just a couple months after I left for Romania who is now an amazing 16 months old!  I also got to meet Milo, son of Andrew and Megan, who is 6 weeks old and Adelaide, daughter of Robin and Andy, who is just one month old.  I also got to have lunch with my 98 year old grandma twice!  I saw both Emily and Dieter's new house and Margaret and Kevin's new house; both are darling and I can't wait to have more time to hang out in them.  My parents also spoiled me rotten through out my time in the states giving in to meals of foods I had been craving for the past year and a half, taking me to Costco to stock up on supplies to bring back, by cooking Thanksgiving dinner early and providing birthday cake for dessert.

Turkey!

I also got to do short presentation about Romania in my friend Ona's kindergarten classroom.  The kindergarteners asked some impressive and hilarious questions.  When I showed them on the globe the distance from Seattle to Romania, one little boy asked, "Do you fly over the Atlantic Ocean to get there?"  Brilliant!  As I was holding the globe another boy asked, "How does the Earth float upright in space?"  Uh...  I told him that was an excellent question, but perhaps one that should be asked to a scientist.  Three hands then shot up and then we had, "My dad's a scientist."  "My grandpa's a scientist."  Oh how I love kindergarteners!

A presentation at St. Joseph School

Now I am back in Romania and getting ready for my first day back in the classroom.  I am afraid it may be a challenging week, but I feel ready to face the next month before winter vacation.