Fakesgiving

I have officially survived my first Thanksgiving away from my family! Luckily for me, I was still surrounded by loved ones...

As I said in my last blog, I have been teaching about Thanksgiving in my classes these past two weeks. First, I must say that I love how no two classes are the same. The exercise I had my students do where they had to write three things that they're thankful for was so insightful. The range of serious to funny statements was staggering-- "I am thankful for my parents because they give me money," "I am thankful for my bed because it is always there for me," etc. On the other hand, I had some students who wrote full paragraphs saying how appreciative they were for their friends who are so welcoming and kind... Things like this elicited class-wide "aww"s and hugs all around. I wanted to cry.

One of the tables at our Fakesgiving

Last night (Friday), I got to participate in my own Fakesgiving with the other assistants. It was so fun being able to help introduce my new British / French / etc. friends (aka Thanksgiving virgins) to this beloved American holiday. Everyone brought a dish and we ended up with a HUGE feast-- mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, parsnip mash, turkey breast, parsnip soup, green beat casserole, carrots, stuffing, gravy, pumpkin pie, banoffee pie, ooey gooey pumpkin cake, and so much more (sorry, didn't get a picture of the spread.. was too busy eating). Before we ate, one of the hostesses had us go around the room and say what we were thankful for. For so long, I have been making others reflect on what they are grateful for, I had almost forgotten to do this for myself and my life. I'm so thankful for this opportunity to teach in France because the culture and lifestyle here is so different and rewarding. I'm so thankful for my family and friends back at home who support me and my passions. Lastly, I'm so thankful for my students and new friends that I've met in France because I have already learned so much from them--not only about the world in general but also about myself.

Now, enough of this mushy nonsense... We all know that once Thanksgiving is over, it is officially socially acceptable to get lost in the Christmas spirit-- cue the holiday tunes.. except not the new British ones I've learned that talk about drunk tanks and call people bad names. We can skip those ones.

The Angers Christmas market officially starts today along with the ceremonial turning on of the Christmas lights that have been hanging up throughout the streets of the city for the past month, just taunting me. It's going to be beautiful and I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning.

Chillin' at a local bar surrounded by good company

Homemade dinner cooked by my buddy Rhys. Delicious.