My Meaning of Thanksgiving

I´m thousands of miles away from home on Thanksgiving, the only American in a hostel full of foreigners. In a desperate attempt to make some turkey and stuffing, still hoping to find some cranberries to make the sauce, I´ve taken over the whole kitchen in the process. The turkey is not even a turkey because when I asked Pedro from the meat store for some turkey, he insisted I make turkey kebabs.

"Hmm... I don´t know..."  as I pondered the idea of a turkey kebab Thanksgiving dinner

Nope, nope, he persisted that its the best way to eat turkey so he made pepper-apple-turkey kebabs on a stick for me. Picking up some red wine and stuffing ingredients on my way back, it was my first attempt in creating a Thanksgiving meal, so we´ll see how it turns out...

People ask what is Thanksgiving and I give them the basic breakdown of the holiday and its significance in the States. But more than that, it made me think about the real meaning behind Thanksgiving. To me, Thanksgiving is a day of reflection.

As the last leaves of autumn fall to the ground and the cold winds blow, it´s nearing the end of yet another year.

I climbed to the top of Jesus Mountain (called Monte Urgull actually, which I highly recommend for a sunset visit )  in San Sebastian, Spain, and stared out into the endless waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Even though I am far away from home, I couldn´t be more grateful for everything that happened this year- for all the amazing experiences I´ve had, for all the fabulous people I´ve met, and all the precious moments that I´ve spent with family and friends. This is the day to give thanks! So thank you, everyone for all the wonderful memories!

I should also mention that I finally bought my ticket back home. I totally forgot about the Schengen Visa rules, which allow visitors to stay up to 90 days in most European Union zone countries, until my Austrialian friend started teasing me that I´m not gonna be let back into the States. So as not to push my luck with the immigration officers, I bought my ticket for the 89th day.

Saturday, December 10th, party at my house. Mark your calendars!

(Addendum: My stuffing turned more into a gigantic pot pie that took forever to cook in the oven, resulting in everyone finishing all the wine before the food was even ready. Figures, huh? A few  episodes of American Dad later, the pie caught on fire in the oven and nearly burned down the whole kitchen. I reassured everyone that the burnt parts only add to the flavors. Regardless it didn't take much convincing to get drunks to gobble down anything you put in front of them. And as far as the the turkey-pepper-apple kebabs went- they deliciously complemented the burnt pie! I think I'll start my own Thanksgiving tradition from now on...)