Thanksgiving

            Here is another update...another late update :). I started two weeks ago Wednesday thinking I would have plenty of time to write a nice long update about my life here in Lebanon...I think I accomplished about two paragraphs last week :) the rest is from this Sunday since we are now officially on Christmas break :). More updates will hopefully follow, but one is enough for today :).

            Well, yesterday the government canceled school for today on account of the weather, so I have a little time to finish catching up on my writing. I finished last time with the grand opening of the Center. Since then a lot has happened and I would have written about if I hadn't gotten behind  :). Since November the country has been putting up Christmas decorations everywhere. While we, (Alexis- my boss), and I were thinking about Thanksgiving, Christmas was all we saw :). The week before Thanksgiving I managed to make some apple sauce. When I say, "some apple sauce," I mean two big pots full :).

In Pink class learning English with penguins

Christmas decorations on one of the roads

Apple sauce!

            The Sunday before Thanksgiving Thursday the American's at the university had a Thanksgiving lunch and since (technically) we, (my self and Alexis) are American, we were invited. Alexis took mashed potatoes, and I am not sure what all else, I was going to take salad but chickened out at the last minute (in other words had no time or ingredients) so I took some apple sauce.

Americans...at least some of them are.

Food!

            It was a good lunch, but on Thursday we had a Thanksgiving I will never forget. Thursday was our last day of school for the week and we planed a Thanksgiving diner with three of our other Muslim workers (the cook, the cleaner, and my translator). There was only one problem with this Thanksgiving dinner, everything was perfect-Alexis was making wonderful food, Suzanne was bringing flowers for the tables, Mrs. Giedre, and Mrs. Raluca were bringing a fruit cake...and I was supposed to make fake turkey. The fake turkey was the only problem. It was a problem because I had never made fake turkey before (which wouldn't be so bad if I was my sister or mom), but my cooking skills are....well...they really aren't :). I can cook things that I think taste good like banana's grilled over a fire...but to convince other people that my cooking is edible is another story :). 

            The turkey started out beautifully when first off I burned the bread crumbs. Then, I couldn't figure out how to make the stuffing since I had no recipe and didn't like the ones I saw...so I did the only other thing I could think of which was to call Nigeria and get my mom's recipe. Things seemed to be going ok until I tasted my stuffing and then I wasn't sure I wanted to be at the Thanksgiving dinner since I had no desire to thank GOD for the Turkey we were about to eat. There was only one thing I was happy about and that was the gluten I had made the night before and put in the fridge. I took it out and tried to roll it out just like I had done in Nigeria with my mom. I then put a big hump of stuffing in the middle and started shaping the turkey how I thought I remembered seeing it done before. I put the turkey in the oven, hoping that the gluten+heat would some how change the chemistry of the stuffing and make it edible...When I took the turkey out an hour later I had to laugh because my "turkey" had a lot more resemblance to a deer with strangely shaped ears than to a turkey :). After comparing the pictures of my mom's turkey and mine I decided there was no way I was going to let my turkey be seen at the Thanksgiving table. I had enough gluten and stuffing for another turkey, but after the "success" of my last one I decided to make it in a bread pan this time and forget about it "looking" like a real turkey part.

            The bread turkey turned out a lot better (at least in looks) and I was ok with putting it on the table now (just as long as no one actually ate it). 

The mutated turkey on the left and the loaf on the right....as if I had to say which was which!

            Taking my mind off of my turkey I worked on making the bread rolls that Alexis had also asked me to make. They looked so beautiful when I took them out of the oven that I couldn't resist trying one...I regretted I had after the first bite. I had made bread rolls before with this recipe, but I had always made my own alterations to it...This time, since it was supposed to be for guests, I decided I would follow the recipe (good idea...except when it comes to sugar), the rolls were flavored with basil and in my mind when something is flavored with basil they are supposed to be just a little salty...these rolls were defiantly sweet. 

            I was wondering what to do when I looked at my watch and realized I had no time to make a second batch. At least they looked good, sort of...Our guests arrived late which gave me time to help Alexis with a few of her things which were the perfect combination of good looks and good taste. Alexis told me to leave my stuff in the oven to stay warm until everyone arrived, I was happy to not have to look at them for a little longer (and maybe, just maybe, I had actually left the oven on high and by the time they got here everything would be charcoal....my wishes were not realized :( )

            Our guests arrived and we had a lovely dinner, somehow the atmosphere of thankfulness and gladness changed the chemistry of my turkey and it wasn't terrible mixed with all of Alexis' good food.

Ready for our Thanksgiving diner!

            After we had eaten we went around the table saying what we were thankful for. It was wonderful to hear the stories each had to tell. It was also uplifting to hear how the Center had already touched the lives of those present. I felt like I was among family members sitting there with each person telling how GOD had blessed. It gave me a lot to think about and, I was thankful that there were a lot of things I could be thankful for. It seems many times we don't realize how blessed we are until we hear the stories of those we consider unfortunate and they are full of thankfulness to GOD for how HE has provided. Then when looking back on our own lives it is easier to see that no matter how much trouble or misfortune has come our way...GOD is always there to bring us through and not only to bring us through, but to bring us through rejoicing. 

            I thank GOD for the experience of this Thanksgiving. It will be an experience that will stay with me for a very long time.

So in the above letter I kind of forgot to say that that Sabbath we took one of our Syrian friends to the beach with us for a bonfire evening

She put charcoal on my face and I did hers....I think my charcoal job was better done :)