Thanksgiving, part one for me, took place two weeks ago, on a cold and rainy Sunday. My host mother spent the better part of Saturday cooking and I baked a pumpkin pie, which did not turn out bad. It was completely edible and even tasted like pumpkin.
Sunday morning preparations involved learning how to set a table for fourteen people, making place cards, and going out to buy fresh bread. I have decided that one of the best smells is the scent of warm bread wafting out of a bakery into the cold and drizzly morning air.
There we were treated to a Thanksgiving story performed in a mixture of French and English by two of the staff members, followed by a traditional Thanks giving meal. The table where I was sitting all went around and said what we were grateful for, a very touching moment for those of us who missed our families or felt a little homesick for the first family based holiday abroad. But we enjoyed the meal and swapped our Thanksgiving Day recipes and stories.