Joyeux l'Action de Grâce

This year was my first year away from home for Thanksgiving. I decided that it would be a great idea to bring this American tradition into the Belgian culture. After all, the point of exchange is to share cultures to promote understanding. After two days of carefully organized recipes and food preparation, my two best friends in Belgium and our families sat around a table and enjoyed my home cooked meal. Explaining to my family and my Rotary counselor why the holiday was so important to me and my friends. They understood the history, however the sentiment was something that an explanation couldn't arrive at.

I explained to our group how in 1620 the Europeans arrived in America where they encountered the first nation inhabitants. There was a lot of sharing of different ways and cultures as the indians helped the Europeans adjust to their new and unfamiliar environment. It was from there that they were able to create a sturdy foundation for the years to follow. In reconciliation for their kindness and for their lessons the Pilgrims and the Indians shared a feast on the fourth Thursday of November. Nowadays we continue with the same tradition. On the same crisp fall November day, families gather around feasts of turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy and share in what they are thankful for. I also added that the food eaten and shared at Thanksgiving is always the same because it is thought to pertain elements of the meal enjoyed at the first celebration. Admittedly, there were things about this holiday that I was not sure of. After years of celebrating a tradition, often times we forget exactly how it came around and why we do the things that we do.

For example, I uncovered that the history of the Turkey stems from a fable of Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth the first was eating a roast goose during a festival in autumn. It was at this time that she became aware that a Spanish ship, which was going to attack England, had mysteriously sunk on the way. She then ordered that another roast goose be prepared to celebrate England’s good fortune. Roast goose quickly  became a popular meal at harvest time. The story goes that when pilgrims first arrived in America from England they found few geese but many turkeys. Therefore, they started roasting turkey instead as they were found in greater numbers.

We, the three exchange students, followed this history with what it was that we were thankful for. I said that I was thankful for my two best friends in Belgium, my couselor and his wife who were gracious enough to let us use their kitchen, Rotary international for sending me to such a lovely country, and my wonderful host family who have brought me into their home and made me feel so unbelievably loved and welcomed. We brought tears to everyone's eyes.

This was one of the reasons I feel like we are on exchange. We are here to help construct the bridges connecting people around the world. It is an experience of sharing. The Friday before we learned about the traditions of Saint Nicholas, and Sunday we shared our American tradition. It was a beautiful weekend, that I hope everyone involved realized exactly what it meant to have happen.