Roast Turkey Entree with a Side of Thankful Musings

Yes, you read that title correctly. Yes, this post is about Thanksgiving. And, yes, I know that it’s now March. Criticism is welcome, although it should be known that it will be largely ignored.

Despite the fact that Thanksgiving is solely an American holiday, I managed to attend two different Thanksgiving celebrations this year in Tanzania. The first was held on actual Thanksgiving Day, at the home of some missionaries that live in Katesh town. There are a couple families from the same church in the US that have been in this area for many years, and they are just plain some of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Every holiday they have a big celebration and invite all the Peace Corps volunteers and other development workers in the region, and any other Americans that happen to find themselves away from the mother ship for the event. Since I had been moved into the region literally a matter of days before Thanksgiving, I hadn’t had a chance to meet the missionaries before showing up at their door on Turkey day with nothing but a litre of soda. Needless to say I was a bit apprehensive, but they were so incredibly warm and welcoming that turned out to be completely unwarranted. Stepping into their home was like being transported into a mini-America. The house was decorated in all harvest colors, and came complete with wonders such as a refrigerator (complete with an ice machine!), flat screen TV playing a clay-mation Rudolph Christmas special, and scented hand soap in the bathroom. There were men sitting around discussing the merits of their favorite NFL players, and little blonde-haired, blue-eyed kids running around with Buzz and Woody dolls. And there was a table complete with a cheese plate, deviled eggs, chips and dip, and a veggie platter full of novelties such as broccoli and celery (which are just about impossible to find in this country). None of this may seem particularly amazing to you, but imagine you’ve been in a world where none of these things exist for six months, and suddenly they become true marvels.

We all went around and said what we’re thankful for and I think that message really hit home for me this year, on several levels. First off, I’m extremely thankful to be surrounded by such awesome people here. My fellow volunteers are some of the most amazing people, and I’ve made some really close friends here. We support each other through this experience in such a huge way that I doubt most of us would have gotten this far without it. And then there’s people like the missionaries, who just kinda take you in, no questions asked, and offer you everything they have. That kind of hospitality just makes me pause in awe. And Tanzanians in general are extremely generous and welcoming, and I’ve literally been offered the shuka (a blanket worn as part of traditional Barabaig dress) off someone’s back.

So I’m thankful for not only being with such great people here, but also just for being here. Ordinarily we have just plain so much in the US, and being surrounded by people who have never known this excess, kinda just makes it all seem ridiculously silly. For the most part, Tanzanians live simply. Entertainment consists mostly of ‘piga story’ (sitting around and talking) with your neighbors while watching the kids and the roosters chase each other about. The food consists primarily of what each family can grow on their farm, and is cooked in a no-frills manner. Homes are simple and straight-forward, but perfectly sufficient. People have what they need, and not a lot extra. But all the other stuff is just that - extra. And this holiday, I found myself being thankful for not only coming from a place that does have so much extra, but also for having the opportunity to experience a lifestyle that doesn’t.

As well as of course all the delicious things we were about to eat, and my, did we have a great meal. The missionaries managed to cook up a feast that would have been epic in the US, much less in Tanzania where so many ingredients (like oh, say, turkey) are extremely difficult to come by. In true American style, we stuffed ourselves past the point of comfort, sat around feeling like we were going to pop for a while, and then proceeded on to coffee and dessert.

On to Thanksgiving celebration number two. The next day (Black Friday for those of you remaining fully submerged in the depths of American consumerism) I traveled back to Singida region to the village of my old sitemate (the Peace Corps volunteer closest to me, and thus almost by default one of my closest friends). She hosted a Thanksgiving celebration for about 20 volunteers, mainly from our training class, some of whom travelled over two days to get there. It was absolutely great to see so many good people again, and again the food was amazing. We shared the meal with a handful of Tanzanians from my friend’s village, who we can now proudly say have a solid understanding of a tribe of people called the Pilgrims. Oh and watching Tanzanians poke canned cranberry repeatedly to watch it jiggle is highly amusing. Score two points for cultural exchange.

We repeated the same process of stuffing ourselves silly, an intermission of swapping site stories and general catching up, and then a round of desserts complete with an African-flavored fruit salad and a special Alana twist cake, the thought of which still makes my mouth water. We rounded the evening out with a crate of beer, some guitar playing and sing-a-long, another crate, and some card games.

All in all, a great double-feature holiday.



“Like Snickers guaranteed to satisfy.”