Friendsgiving

Hola y feliz Acción de Gracias! 

This year was the first time I have ever been away from home for a holiday and, to be honest, there was a big part of me that was dreading it. Especially because I’m living in a country where the holiday doesn’t even exist. Knowing that my family would all be together, having traditions that I wouldn’t be able to participate in this time, made me feel homesick in a way that I haven’t felt yet since being here. It was hard to anticipate these things happening knowing that I wouldn’t be able to be there with them. Waking up on Thursday morning, I was already ready for the day to be over. 

But, that feeling quickly changed. I walked to work like a normal morning, because that’s what it was for everyone else. It was a weird feeling knowing today was an important day miles away, but it was like a secret that I was holding in. When I got to work, I got to my desk and opened my computer to work, and started talking to a coworker who asked me about Thanksgiving. We started chatting about what today meant to me, how I usually spend the day, and what my family is probably doing right now. Another one of my coworkers decided to order pastries (chipas, yum!) for everyone that felt like our own little Thanksgiving celebration. It was a small action that really meant the world to me. 

Then, some of my friends planned a friendsgiving for me and invited some of their friends to come and celebrate with us too. We cooked together that afternoon and made a traditional dish from Argentina (Pastel de Papa) that really just reminded me of an American Thanksgiving Casserole. We enjoyed a meal together, talked about all of my Thanksgiving traditions, all shared what we are thankful for, played games, and ate a lot of desert! It felt exactly how you would expect an international Thanksgiving celebration to feel: sentimental, nostalgic, but with a little different twist and lots of laughter. It was so special to experience this day in a new way with new people, and also be able to share an American tradition with all of my friends here, since usually it’s the other way around! 

Sitting around that table truly brought me so much thankfulness, and made me feel all of the Thanksgiving love, even from thousands of miles away. Sitting around a table with people I barely knew three months ago and some that I hadn’t even met yet, with people celebrating a holiday that doesn’t exist where they’re from, with people who intentionally took time to help me feel seen and loved, with people who never fail to bring a smile to my face even when I have a heavy heart, truly redefined the meaning of Thanksgiving for me. I truly am so thankful for the opportunity to be here, for all of the people who helped make it possible for me to be here, and for everyone who has welcomed me here with open arms. Estoy tan agradecida! 

With love, Sarah