Jaénsgiving!

I knew this year's Thanksgiving would be a little different. It would be the first away from my family and country. Other than having my 21st birthday abroad in South Africa, this would be my first major celebration/tradition  away from the homeland. I did miss seeing my family but I was fortunate enough to have a video skype conversation with my entire immediate family and grandparents.

Despite missing my normal Thanksgiving, I couldn't have asked for a better one given the situation. I met in Baeza with what I believe are the nearest Americans (two hours away by bus) as well as a host of Spaniards, a Scot, and one from France. I first showed up to Mary Ann's (the Scot) apartment where they where cooking one of the turkeys. Mary Ann is on the left and Anna, one of two Iowans present, is on the right.

In a nearby apartment, Megan, another english teacher from North Carolina, was cooking some classic Thanksgiving dishes and desserts. Green bean casserole and pumpkin pie topped the list for me. It was great to have those tastes of home for a night. It made Jaénsgiving taste a bit more like Thanksgiving. After all the cooking was done we headed to one of the local bars where we would be eating. The end result looked something like this. There's Dave, an American from Colorado (who also become know as "Davy Gravy" at some point during the night), behind the counter pretending he was the master chef.

Here's the whole group sitting down enjoying the meal.

Of course it wasn't a completely American Thanksgiving. Mix Andalusians, food, drink, and a guitar, and you're bound to hear some flamenco at some point. The First Thanksgiving, at it's best, is a story of multicuturalism, right?

Well, that was my Jaénsgiving. Thanks to those who made it taste a bit like home.