Counting My Blessings

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful, warm holiday in my family. I've always enjoyed the way we drop the crazy chaos of our lives for just one day and come together as a family to share some time together. And what I love most is that there are no presents and no pressure (well, aside from making sure the turkey and trimmings come out right). I was in a bit of denial about being away from home for one of my favorite holidays, and at first my plan was just to pretend it wasn't happening. I figured if I didn't make a big deal out of missing the holiday, then it would hurt so much. But luckily for me, my fabulous  work and Fulbright friends made sure that didn't happen.

After talking to some Fulbrighters, I realized that if I ignored Thanksgiving altogether, I would be missing an incredible opportunity to share American culture with my new students and colleagues. So while my family and American friends back home enjoyed the day off from work, feasting with their families,  I spent the day teaching my kids a little about the history of the holiday, then showing the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving video while we all made turkeys out of our hands and feet. And what a hit it was! I had to order special paper online to get the right colors, as well as some fun googly eyes, but it was so worth it to see the utter delight on my students faces as their turkeys came together. You would think I was some sort of crafting genius by the comments they made and how excited they were. I can't count how many times the girls squealed in delight as they glued on their eyeballs or cut out their hand tracings and held them up behind the turkey body, then and said something like, 'Oh Miss, this is so neat!' I was struck by how such an easy craft that's so common in American can be such a delight simply because it was new and exciting. I was also struck by how different each of the students' turkeys turned out. Haha! I'm not sure about the rules for posting photos of my girls, so here are a few without any faces.

On the feathers, they wrote different blessings in their lives that they are most thankful for.  

This little girl got a bit confused and took off her shoe before tracing her foot for her turkey body. :) Bless them! 

I really like this one's big, blond hair. But mostly, I love the blessings this student is thankful for: "That God love me, living in a home, being alive, that I have equal rights, my education, my family." Such humble, sweet and honest blessings that we should all be thankful for. And what's most striking is that this came from an 11-year old girl. 

This one has fancy eyelashes AND a ball cap AND an apron (I think)! But no feet. :)

Here's my demo turkey up on the board for the girls to model. And next to it is a lovely and sweet card from my dear friend and coworker Charlie. She also put funny Thanksgiving jokes on the back!  Above it is a true Thanksgiving miracle--a Thanksgiving note from my toughest class. I think I'm winning them over. ;)

Then after work, my friend and coworker Frances organized a little get together for a couple teachers at a local pub to celebrate the holiday. We had a nice toast to Thanksgiving and some good laughs. Then it was off to the pizza restaurant for a Thanksgiving pizza. :) It was definitely the most unique Thanksgiving I've had, but one that I loved and will definitely cherish in my memory.