Thanksgiving in Dakar was a success!! .. except our cheese was stolen.

 Thanksgiving morning

So, we decided to share the Thanksgiving tradition with our Senegalese friends and family. We made yams, green bean casserole, holla bread, turkey with roasted vegetables (the neck and organs were all still attached), fruit salad (all I could make), mashed potatoes, apple sauce, a massive salad, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, apple pie, and cranberry sauce (which was actually bissap sauce)... ALL FROM SCRATCH. Oh, and bissap punch. Believe it or not, everything turned out perfectly. I've never had such a feast. It was ridiculous. Just want to mention also that we cooked everything with a gas stove/oven, no blender, sharp knifes, power outages, water outages, shortage of mixing bowls, no cutting boards and not enough forks. We also negotiated for all our vegetables and sugar. I can't believe we pulled it off. 

Christine's yams, complete with marshmallows

Sarah's green bean casserole

Sarah and I decimated the turkey

Making my fruit salad... I have a great story associated with this watermelon.

Mom, you don't need an electric knife when you have your hands

cooking french toast for our profs

Theresa with the turkey neck and head

We also made everyone say what they were thankful for and the Senegalese started crying because they couldn't believe we had shared our tradition with them. We have it all on video, so it should be available soon. But, it was one of the most rewarding moments of my life.

I'm thankful for all my friends and family both here and in the States. I'm thankful to have this chance to be here in Senegal for 6 months. I know not many people get to have an experience like this and I'm incredibly appreciative of my mom for giving me this opportunity by helping me in every way possible throughout my life and supporting me while I'm here. I am thankful for my sister for being my best friend and keeping me grounded while I'm here. Also, my grandpa for being my moral compass and supporting every decision I make. I am thankful for my uncles because they filled areas that were lacking in my life. I can't forget my friends... couldn't live without my friends. Finally, I'm thankful for my family as a whole because I know no other family as close as ours and I'm very proud and lucky to be apart of it. Being here makes me think how easily I could have been born somewhere else and live a completely different life. I am truly thankful for my life and everyone it it.

Now that I've gotten all sappy on everyone... I have to do my homework. Three essays and a presentation due within one week. I'm getting glimpses of reality again.
Love Always,
Alyssa