Thanksgiving in a Box

Well, a lot has happened since my last blog. But I feel as if I’m too far gone to fill in everything that has happened. So I’ll just start from Thanksgiving and move on from there.

The day before Thanksgiving I was a little bit worried. I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to pull off the Thanksgiving that we had in our minds. We had a few things against us: our stove and oven are bobo (as Hanna would say), we didn’t have all the same ingredients that we have in the States, and we were short a few pots and pans. But we were determined to have a Thanksgiving like none other.

A few weeks prior my mom had sent a few boxes with Thanksgiving ingredients; Thanksgiving in a box. However, it was Thanksgiving day and we hadn’t received them. That morning we made our way to the post office to see if our packages had arrived. Hanna opened up the mailbox to find a few slips indicating that we had packages waiting for us. One of the slips was for me, but I knew that my mom had sent a box before the Thanksgiving ones, I was a little bummed. But I figured that we could just use the ingredients for a Thanksgiving meal #2.

As we sat waiting for the immigrations officer to look through all of our boxes a lady told us she had more slips. She started to read off the names, all of which were people from AMOR projects. Two of the slips had my name on them. Thanksgiving in two boxes had arrived! I was so excited.

The rest of the morning was spent picking up other ingredients for our Thanksgiving feast. Around 1:00 we walked in the door arms loaded with bags of Thanksgiving feast ingredients. We all set to work peeling, chopping, mixing and all the other things that go into preparing a grand meal.

At 7:00 that evening our table was filled with just about every Thanksgiving dish one should have. Hanna and Stephanie had decorated the room quite festively and everyone was gathered around the table. We had our Thanksgiving prayer and as soon as the word “amen” was said, it all went crazy. Everyone was trying to get every dish on their plates, it was loud, it was unorganized, it was great.

I sat down with my plate full of yumminess and a smile on my face. I was so excited to see creamy mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, the best turkey I’ve ever had, stuffing, cranberry sauce, empanadas and gluten (for the veggies) all piled on my plate. I couldn’t believe we’d pulled it all off. Food-wise, it was pretty much like home. We even had two pumpkin pies and an apple pie.

Thanksgiving here was good. I did miss my family. I missed cooking with my mom, and having my brother and dad stuff themselves two or three times over. I missed the cool weather, wearing a sweater at the table, and going for a hike to try to get over our food comas. But I loved being here with my Student Missionary and Peruvian family. It was great having everyone crowd around the table. My favorite part of the evening was when we all went around the table and said what we’re thankful for. I am truly thankful for the chance to be down here. I’m glad I got to have a Peruvian/American thanksgiving. All my Thanksgivings run together, but I think this one will stick out as one of my favorites.

November´s Scent

“It smells like November,” I told the Peruvian guys. As soon as the words left my mouth a roar of laughter followed. I was trying to explain to them the scent of a candle that a previous Student Missionary had sent us. The guys couldn’t understand how a candle could smell like a month.  But the Student Missionaries knew exactly what I meant by those words.

November. At home the leaves have changed colors and have descended to the earth below. Students are bundled in their coats, and scarves warm their necks as they rush from class to class. My mom has just pulled out a fresh batch of pumpkin cookies, and the scent of cinnamon and warm apples ascends from the pot of cider bubbling on the stove. At home you can feel the change from October to November.

It’s been an adjustment having hot weather in November. My brain tells me that I should be wearing sweaters and shivering, but the climate here tells me otherwise. However, there are advantages to not having cold weather: my hands aren’t cracking from dryness, my skin only itches from mosquito bites not from dry skin, and I don’t have to worry about avoiding wool scarves that will give me hives.

But, in all seriousness, I am truly blessed to be here. How many other people get the chance to take a year off of school and experience life in a different country? Though there are things that I miss about November at home, I am thankful to be here in Peru.

As we were heading back home in the motorcar today, I began to think of all the things that I am thankful for. Here’s what I came up with:

·         Running water (many people have wells, and at one point KM 38 did not have running water).

·         Two good stove top burners (we don’t have to search for wood to make meals).

·         Several great cooks (who knew we would eat biscuits and gravy in Peru?).

·         The Doctor (I have no worries about being sick here because I know he’ll take care of me).

·         Internet in Campo Verde (a lot cheaper to go to Campo Verde than Pucallpa, and where else will I get to listen to “Jenny from the Block” four times in one hour?).

·         Cloudy days (sometimes it even feels like fall).

·         Sunny days (free highlights and dry clothes).

·         Green grass and clean air (it’s nice to come home from the smog filled city to fresh air).

·         The stars (we can actually see them twinkle here).

·         Empanada lessons from Hermana Welfa (now we’re set for the whole year, and a million possibilities await us).

·         My students (sure sometimes they drive me up the wall, but I wouldn’t have it any other way).

·         My SM family (there are not enough words to describe how much I love each one of them).

The list could go on, but you may get bored reading it, or December’s newsletter will be finished by the time you get to the last item. In other words, God has given me so much to be thankful for. And I have discovered that living here in Peru has made me thankful for the simple things in life. I have experienced the richness of God’s blessings here—the blessings that are too numerous to count. So, this holiday season, when the rush of meal prepping has worn you down, or Black Friday has you in dizzy mess, take a moment to breath, to find the simplicity in life, and to give thanks for your many blessings.

“Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.” Psalms 40:5