As you know, Thanksgiving is an American holiday and is not celebrated in Estonia. It is also one of my favorite holidays because, to me, it is about being with family and sharing good food and good conversation. It is a little bit difficult being away from my family on days like Thanksgiving and I especially miss my dad. Thanksgiving was definitely his favorite holiday. He liked that, unlike how Christmas has become, it is not about spending money and time buying and wrapping gifts. (in his case, last minute late on Christmas Eve). Rather, Thanksgiving is about reflecting on the things you are grateful for. For my dad, family was definitely one of the things he was most thankful for. I know because he always showed us. I am thankful for my family as well, even when they are half-way across the world, I know that they love and support me.
This Thanksgiving, I am also thankful for all of my new friends in Estonia. Everyone has been extremely welcoming. They answer all of my many questions when I am confused (a frequent occurrence) and they translate for me when I am completely lost. All of the friends I have made here are such amazing people and I am lucky to have them in my life. So although I missed being with my family on Thanksgiving, I was happy to share the holiday with my Estonian friends this year.
I threw a little party and I was so happy that so many people came. Because I had class all day on Thursday, I couldn’t make an entire Thanksgiving dinner (not that I was ready to take that on by myself anyway). Instead I made three of my favorite Thanksgiving pies: pumpkin, pecan, and apple. I bought some new kitchen supplies and made my shopping list, then hunted for the ingredients I needed and converted my recipes into metric units. When I couldn’t find something I asked my friends if it indeed existed in Estonia and then turned to my mom to figure out an appropriate substitute. I had never made these pies before and my mom reminded me, I did not have the best history with culinary “creations” in the past.
However, I enlisted the help of my friend Jaanika and we manage to pull it off without burning down my apartment. Granted my pecan pie was rock hard, and I had to quickly pull my pumpkin pie out of the oven when I realized I had forgotten more than one important ingredient, but everyone ate and complemented me on the pies. One person even asked me for the pumpkin pie recipe the next day.
Of course, contrary to popular belief, Thanksgiving is not all about the food. It made me smile that my guests wanted to go around and say what they were thankful for. We always did this when I was growing up, but lately I think we’ve forgotten to take the time to do it. It is always nice to hear people express gratitude for the things in their lives, especially for each other.
Several of my Estonian friends told me that they were very excited to have been invited to their first Thanksgiving. While I feel a little bad their first Thanksgiving didn’t even involve turkey, I think we all had a good time.
Now it is Saturday, and after not so gracefully sneaking out early from my orchestra rehearsal, I am on my way to Tallinn for a real Thanksgiving feast. Tallinn is where my American friend Bart lives. He is here on a Fulbright scholarship, like I am. He also has a professional chef for a roommate, so of course I am very happy to be celebrating Thanksgiving again with them and some of their friends.
It is easy to get lost in our busy schedules, or to get pulled down by the tragic events and loss around us, but if we keep our hearts and eyes open, it is simple to see how much we have to be thankful for. Thanksgiving may have been on Thursday, but it certainly does not have to be a one-day event. I am grateful for each and every one of you who is reading this right now. I will try every day, especially the hard ones, to remember how lucky I am to have been and continue to be surrounded be such beautifully compassionate people.
Happy Thanksgiving!
My Fulbright Experience 