Thankfulness

Happy Thanksgiving! Ok, I know I missed the boat by a couple of days, but get this...the French don't celebrate Thanksgiving and I actually had to work on Thanksgiving and Black Friday! Imagine that!

Ok, enough with the sarcasm and time to get serious. This is the first Thanksgiving I have spent away from the homeland, and although I truly missed my family and friends, I also appreciated a chance to celebrate the holiday with some quiet reflection...away from the commercial chaos. Luckily, I didn't have to forego the gluttony and traditional Thanksgiving fare since the English-speaking church I attend hosted a full-course meal last week. Here is a taste of my Expat Thanksgiving with a touch of France:

Appetizer: warm Brie covered in homemade cranberry sauce with a sliced baguette...this tradition may have to come back with me to the States!

This is my new friend, Christof. He was very excited to model the proper way to enjoy the appetizer.

After the appetizer, we headed in for the main feast! It was a wonderful pot-luck meal with all the traditional foods: turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce...the list goes on!

What a spread! Photo credit to Ana Bello :)

So much to be thankful for! Cheers! P.S. I don't know how something green (not covered in sauce) ended up on my plate! It was truly a mistake, I promise.

Country dining at its finest

No Thanksgiving is complete without dessert! 

As I mentioned earlier, this delightful Thanksgiving meal was actually served the week before. On the actual holiday I was working in northern France collecting water samples. 

Hard at work on Thanksgiving day: Seyssel, France

Although it wasn't a traditional Thanksgiving, I enjoyed the time I had to really remember all I have to be thankful for this year. Here are a few of the highlights:

1. I am thankful for the new and exciting doors that have opened for me this year...last year at this time living abroad was just a dream

2. I am thankful to my family and friends for helping me with the end of my PhD, consolidating my things, and moving twice in one summer. I definitely COULD NOT have done it without ALL of you!

3. I am thankful that after only 3 months in France I have a great group of friends and already feel settled

4. I am thankful to have a job that challenges and excites me.

5. I am thankful for the age of the internet. Skype, Google hangout, and Viber make the distance between family and friends seem a little shorter :)

6. Last but not least...I am thankful to have all my basic needs met on a daily basis. Even in a foreign country I've been provided with everything I need. 

And a final thank you to all of YOU for continuing to read about my adventures :)

A+
Danielle