Friendsgiving// Thanksgiving Fun!

11/18/22- 11/19/22; 11/26/22

Friendsgiving with exchange students + Thanksgiving with Mar's family !

I was back in Meppel last weekend to celebrate Friendsgiving with some of the other exchange students. On the way there, I fell asleep on the train. When, I woke up, there was a man next to me clapping his hands on his legs to the music he was listening to on his headphones. It was funny. I wanted to laugh, but that could have been awkward so I didn't.

We all met at Avery's house and walked together to the Rotarian's house we were going to stay at. Then, we went to Albert Heijn to get groceries. We got a chicken (cause they don't eat turkey here) and some other essentials. There's a bread section in Albert Heijn where you can get yummy croissants, mini pizza flatbreads, and frikandel. I got the group some croissants to snack on on the way home. When we got there, we played music and started cooking. We all alternated queuing songs, and personally I think I chose the best songs. I added Luna Li, Faye Webster, "Dreams" by the Cranberries, and of course Taylor. I caught some of the girls adding the songs I played to their favorites, which is the biggest compliment ever. Then, we set the table and all sat down. There were Finnish mocha bites, Italian pasta, and then classic American Thanksgiving food like mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. Jamie made the yummiest lemon squares, I'll have to ask him for the recipe. After, we walked around Meppel. We went back home and watched a terrible Christmas movie- one of those Hallmark- style rom-coms, the one with Lindsey Lohan in it.

The next day, we went to the center. I bought a perfume (Jimmy Choo Illicit), and it smells really good. We went to some other stores and shopped a bit. Then, there were some food trucks and we ate breakfast there. I got a falafel flatbread, and it was so good. We walked around some more, ate some more, and then went back home.

Last Saturday, Mar and I invited her family for a Thanksgiving dinner. We cooked together for about 4 hours. We're honestly a good team. I made the mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole and the cranberry sauce. Mar made the turkey and green bean casserole. I wanted to make pumpkin pie, but they only had real pumpkin and I don't know how to make pumpkin pie with real pumpkin which is kind of funny when you think about it. Mar bought American flag napkins which were very patriotic, and we went to an artisan market and bought cute candles for the table. Mar's mom, sister, brother-in-law, niece, daughter, and her daughter's fiancee came. At first, even though it was gezellig, I felt pretty homesick during the dinner. I think I missed my family more. Later, though, it was nice. After dessert and coffee/tea, we played this card game that Mar and her sister have played since they were little. Mar's daughter Roos helped me and everyone was talking and having a good time. I felt less homesick and more happy to be there. I think lots of times during exchange, I find that sticking with plans even if you don't want to or don't enjoy what you're doing helps a lot. Sometimes, plans can be more fun than you thought it would've been. And even if the plans do suck and you don't enjoy your time, then when it's over, it feels nice, like you accomplished a difficult task. I was proud that I stuck with Thanksgiving dinner, let it happen, and ended up enjoying myself.

Also the next day, Mar put presents in me and her grandson's shoes for Sinterklaas. Dutch people never fail to remind me that Sinterklaas is the OG Santa Claus and that the tradition of putting presents under the Christmas tree originated from a Coca Cola commercial which I didn't even know.

That's all for now! Talk soon

- Amelia