Денот на благодарноста: Thanksgiving!

Well Thanksgiving came and went. Time is flying by and yet moving slowly.

This year was a little different. Picture this: a Macedonian singer singing to an empty restaurant, one small table full of locals and then a massive table set for 40 people. Next to this giant table was another table set for the food and was served buffet style.

Each volunteer in Veles and their families were invited to the restaurant to celebrate Thanksgiving, or Денот на благодарноста as it's called here. It was so refreshing to be around my fellow Americans and share in some traditional Thanksgiving food.

Thank goodness Aaron, a fellow PVC, knew how to carve the turkeys! 

We all signed up to bring or make something and given the limited ingredients here, I think we did fantastic. Peace Corps delivered 3 turkeys to the restaurant and the chefs there offered to cook it.  The turkeys came all the way from the American military base in Kosovo! I don't of many other Peace Corps countries that deliver turkeys so I was so happy that this small  but important tradition could be kept while in Macedonia! Apparently it tasted delicious too. Here is a taste of some things on the menu besides turkey: candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn bread, croissants, stuffing and even apple pie for dessert. The list could go on and we even had some typical Macedonian dishes.

My host mom and I spent the day making a homemade apple pie! It was so much work and very time consuming but a great bonding experience. The pie was a good first attempt and looked better then it tasted but it was a memorable moment. Next time I will be sure to use a different dish so that the dough can cook longer. We also made the mashed potatoes together.

The finished product! 

I am beyond thankful to share my first Thanksgiving away from home surrounded by the host family I love dearly and my wonderful volunteers.

The Veles crew!

We even had a "Thankful Turkey" and all wrote what we are thankful for on the feathers! 

I can't forget to mention that my parents set a place for me at the dinner table and I was able to skpye in for the dinner and share the meal with them! The sweet potatoes with roasted marshmallows sure looked tempting!