Yep, that's right! Even though I am far away from home, the tradition will go on!!! :) I am very sad to not be at home with my family, but I'm not going to let that keep me down. Brendan, along with Rebecca (an American classmate from my master's program) and Alison (an American friend of Rebecca's) and I will be sharing this most wonderful feast with my two roommates and a few friends from the master's program in my apartment this Saturday. In preparation for the Thanksgiving dinner, I knew I had to go out "hunting" as soon as possible for the most important part of the feast: "el pavo" (the turkey). The thing is, I knew turkey existed here, but I knew it wasn't quite as popular as "jamones y embutidos" (hams and sausages) (which are an essential part of this region of Spain's diet). In any case, I was lucky enough to get the help of my Spanish friend, Maribel, who said she wouldn't mind coming with me to "una carnicería" (a meat shop) to scope out the situation. In the end, we decided to go straight to "el mercado" (the market) which sells fresh vegetables, fruits, meat and seafood everyday. It turns out, that out of ALL of the vendors there (and there are MANY that sell meats and poultry) that only one place sold turkey!! I was getting a little discouraged at first seeing stand after stand with only ham and sausages hanging from the ceiling, but finally we found what we were looking for :) The sad part is that it had to be the only one with rabbits hanging from the ceiling, complete with all their fur, ready to be sold as dinner... while all I could think was how I see those little guys romping around my backyard at home and they are so cute! :( Needless to say, with the thought of Thanksgiving in my mind, I pressed on. Once it was my turn to order, Maribel and I told the butcher that we wanted a turkey in order to do a traditional American dinner on Saturday. Unfortunately, the butcher told us that he doesn't usually sell the whole bird, as I noticed right away because he only had turkey breasts. I'm not gonna lie though, the thought of cooking the whole bird here sounded a little overwhelming to me, so I was completely fine with the idea of buying the turkey breast all nice and clean and ready to cook :) ha ha! Anyways, he was very nice and informed us that he gets a fresh order of turkey on Wednesdays and Fridays so it would be better for us to come back Friday, and that way I could also buy a few turkey legs if I wanted, too. Maribel and I both agreed, as we did not like the idea of having raw turkey in the fridge for 4 more days. Mission accomplished! :)
Now, all that's left to do is start planning who's going to prepare what of all the other important dishes. Thanks to my mom and Brendan's mom, we will be able to have two pumpkin pies, stuffing and cranberry sauce, and Rebecca has also volunteered to make her amazing version of Red Lobster's "Cheddar Bay Biscuits." Oh my gosh, I seriously can't wait-- my mouth is already watering!! I'll be sure to take pictures to document it all and I'll write about it in my next post!
Alright... I better get back to planning this feast (oh yea, and I guess I should probably study and do my homework, huh? ha ha!) But before I do, I wanted to wish you all a very
¡FELIZ DÍA DE LA ACCIÓN DE GRACIAS!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
I'm so thankful to have such wonderful friends and family, and soon to be family- the Shea's :) For my parents and brother who I love so much because no matter what, they have always been there for me-- I miss you so much! For Brendan, the love of my life, who didn't even think twice to follow me half way across the world-- I don't know what I would do without you. Also, for Rotary for allowing me the amazing opportunity to live and study in Spain. And last but not least, even though it may sound a little silly, I am thankful for Skype which has allowed me to stay connected with my loved ones and always feel just a little bit closer to home.
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