A McDonald’s Thanksgiving, with Strawberries and a Side of Homesickness

            Happy Thanksgiving from Nazareth!  It’s not a holiday here, nor is it cold.  The traffic is it’s normal crazy self, but nothing out of the ordinary.  This morning at chapel, we did sing a number of thankful songs.  I don’t think they’re traditional thanksgiving anything, but we sung them in Arabic and English.  And somehow being thankful made me think of home, and then homesickness hit me in the middle of chapel.  Unfortunately, my emotions tend to come out of my eyeballs, but in some ways that’s probably best, because I can’t hide it.  Pretending you’re great when you’re not so okay isn’t helpful.  Crying in public is embarrassing, but there were lots of people I know who care about me who gave me hugs and told me that’s it’s okay to be sad and that I’ll feel better soon.  Most of them have lived abroad, or have children who live abroad, so they’ve been there.  I sat with our volunteer coordinator for a while, and drank a cup of tea, because that’s what British people do. 

Then I went for a walk, because my mom says that exercise is good for your emotional, as well as physical, health.  I walked to the big grocery store across town.  It may not have been quite so great for my physical health because I bought stuff to make a chocolate pie, which is what we always have at thanksgiving.  I also got crasians, because they were the only cranberries I could find (I love cranberry sauce), and strawberries, because November is strawberry season in Israel.  (Admit it, you wish strawberries were a Thanksgiving food)

I caught the bus home by power-walking to the next stop while it was in traffic so that I didn’t have to walk up the hill.  I baked my pie, which helped me feel better because I like being busy.  My mom emailed me the recipe, but it was still a little weird to make it without her in the next room to yell for when I needed help. I had to make several substitutions, and I baked it in a cake tin because the pie pan is a tin disposable one that looks highly questionable.  And I licked the pot, which is a time-honored thanksgiving tradition at my house.

And for Thanksgiving dinner, I had McDonald’s with Adri because it was the most American thing we could think of.  Yes, I know McDonalds is not the healthiest, and it will never compare to thanksgiving dinner at home.  But it still tasted like home in it's own way (it's funny what I like here for that reason, even though I'd never, for example, drink peach iced tea at home). It was fun and silly, and silliness is always a good way to keep homesickness away.  There were scary purple trees to laugh at, and Christmas decorations to look at in the mall, which almost felt sinful since thanksgiving wasn't over yet.  We came home and ate pie, which didn’t really solidify in the refrigerator like it was supposed to, so we ended up eating it out of the pan.  With strawberries.  It wasn’t as good as my moms (because nothing ever is), but it still tasted yummy. 

Even though I’m halfway around the world, I have so much to be thankful for, including the opportunity to be here (even if I get homesick sometimes).  I have two lists of ‘things I’m thankful for”.  One list is things that I’m thankful for here in Nazareth, because it really is wonderful.  The other is things I’m thankful for at home, because I realize how much I have at home when I don’t have all of it here, or at least not in the same way.  Each has three things, not because I only have six things to be thankful for, but because I have SO much to be thankful for that I doubt anyone wants to read all of it.

In Nazareth

1- I’ve gotten to know so many people, and they all care about me.  In addition to the other volunteers, I’ve made friends with people at the hospital, Nazareth Village, and church.  I’m halfway around the world, but I’m in no way alone.

2-  The time I’ve been given to learn Arabic, and the brain God gave me to learn and use it. Arabic is really hard, and it still can be pretty hard now.  But I can usually make myself understood, and I can talk to people who don’t speak English, which is especially nice in the hospital.

3- God made a really amazing and beautiful world.  Nazareth looks nothing like North Carolina, but it’s still beautiful with the palm tress and the flowers that bloom in November.  The hills are more aptly described as steep mountains, but they don’t fall down and have their own rugged sort of beauty.  The Jezreal Valley is barely visible from my doorstep, and is flat and green.  I’ve been to the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, and the Mediterranean, which are all different shades of blue, and different again from the Atlantic Ocean and the lake at camp (we won’t discuss the Crim Dell at William and Mary, though God created the flesh-eating bacteria that live there too).

At Home

1- I’m thankful for my family and friends.  There are a lot of both, and they’re all wonderful.  Maybe a little bit crazy, but they (or rather, YOU) are my crazy family and friends.  It makes home seem not so far away when I get random facebook messages that say things like “I saw this” or “this came on”, followed by “it reminded me of you”.  Both my family and my friends are strewn about the world, but they are all still there and still care about me, and I care about them. And I thank God for them as often as I remember, and it’s never often enough.

2-   I’m thankful for the internet and the technology that makes living in a different country a little easier.  From talking to people with Skype, to seeing pictures, to being able to find instructions in English, it just makes it easier.  It’s silly, but it’s still very true.

3- I’m thankful for my home country.  I’m never as patriotic as when I’m away from home (except maybe during the Olympics).  Yes, the US has it’s own set of problems and it's in no way perfect. But when I see everyone else’s problems, especially up close and personal, I’d chose our problems.  I like our diversity, because even though it can make things more difficult, things are also richer and more interesting.  I like our political system.  It’s slow and messy and I like to complain as much as the next person, but it’s still one of the best out there.  I like our food, even if we should eat better and less overall.  I like our culture, though probably mostly because I understand it.  I like our infrastructure, because it’s nice to flush toilet paper and use the oven and microwave at the same time.

So I hope you have a wonderful day, full of loved ones, blood relatives or not, and food, and time to remember all of your blessings.  Happy Thanksgiving!