Another Thanksgiving Away

As I’ve stated many times before, living away from my family is one of the hardest parts about living abroad. It's especially challenging during the holidays. Most volunteers go through episodes of depression during this time. As Thanksgiving was approaching I felt myself trying my best not to see the date getting closer on my calendar, but it was difficult. So when I found out my name had been drawn to have Thanksgiving dinner with a family working at the American Embassy I did not hesitate to accept the invitation. A few weeks prior, Peace Corps had asked Americans working at the embassy if they would like to host Peace Corps Volunteers at their homes for the holiday. Since not all of us would be able to go because there weren’t enough families to host the over 200 volunteers currently present in country, Peace Corps picked names at random. I found out I’d be going to Addis Ababa just a week before the holiday.

I headed to Addis Thursday morning and met my hosts in the city where they picked me up in their private car and drove me to their beautiful home. As soon as I arrived through the gates, it felt like a completely different world. And I welcomed all the luxury. All I thought as I entered their home was, “enjoy this Helena, it’s only going to last a few hours before you have to get back to your mud house and shint bet.” In the most basic sense I can describe their home, it was America. All these things that are normal to Westerners, a home where you wear no shoes because it's so clean, a full kitchen, a living room with couches and huge rugs, a huge dining room table set for 10, a full bar with actual glasses, a hard wood floor staircase, a bedroom with an actual bed and bed frame and a private bathroom … all the stuff that’s normal, isn’t normal for me anymore. So when I walked in with all these things at my feet I was overjoyed and I had to stop myself from screaming and crying tears of happiness. My hosts led me to the spare bedroom where they said I could sleep the night and told me to take my time getting ready. As I was left alone in the room I just sat on the bed and took it all in. And then of course I immediately hopped into the shower. I got dressed, put on my dress, did my hair and put on some makeup. I can’t tell you how good it feels to be able to feel like a woman. I took these simple acts for granted back home. To be able to get ready in a comfortable home was such a gift. After I had finished pampering myself I headed downstairs to see what I could help with. There was an actual turkey sitting on the kitchen table. Yes… a turkey!!! (Embassy workers put in their turkey order a couple months before the holidays). My host then asked me what I wanted to drink. He gave me an entire list of things I could have. I know all this stuff seems silly to people back home, but this is not what I’m used to anymore. Obviously I was beyond happy. We had our drinks and appetizer/snacks as we waited for the other guests. My white wine actually tasted like what good white wine should taste like. I got to have chips and salsa, hummus and pita bread, mixed vegetables with dip that included broccoli, red peppers, and cucumbers!!!!! I had to control myself so I wouldn’t go crazy over all this food. And those were just the snacks. Cabbage, potatoes, and tomatoes start to get old after a few months of the same repetitive meals, so the variety in vegetables was a welcomed change.

Afterwards, the other guests slowly arrived and I got to meet some really interesting people. Of the group of us there, half of us had done Peace Corps so I was able to relate to quite a few of them. It was amazing to be able to have conversations with Americans. We finally got to sit down and have Thanksgiving. The turkey was delicious which was of course accompanied by every other Thanksgiving dish you can think of. All in all, I stuffed my face and ended the night with a stomach ache that was well worth it. I would do it all over again.

Until Peace Corps I had never really sat back to think of what I’m thankful for in my life. So here’s what I’m thankful for this year. I’m thankful for this wonderful embassy family who agreed to host me. They went above and beyond by letting me stay the night in their home and driving me all the way to the bus station the following day, a.k.a. the place I dread most in the entire world. I’m also thankful for this experience and for Peace Corps. This past year and a half has been a huge learning and growing process. I’m often complaining about it as many of you know, but I honestly am happy I made the decision to come to Ethiopia and I have no regrets. Living abroad has also taught me how important my family is to me. I’m so thankful to be able to have an experience that shows me what I truly value most in life. I don’t think everyone gets that opportunity. And most of all, I’m thankful to be an American. Being a white, middle class American comes with many privileges that I never understood before and didn’t realize I had. I’m so much more aware of my gender, my class, my skin color, my nationality and what all of it means. I can’t imagine what my life would be like today if I hadn’t accepted my invitation to serve in Ethiopia.

I had a great Thanksgiving this year. I hope the same goes for everyone and I cannot wait to be home for the next one!