Giving Thanks

A quick look at the left side of my blog informs me I haven't written a post since August. Perhaps the fact that my mom has long since stopped bugging me to update my blog should have been a good indication that I was long overdue. Busy weekend, patchy internet connections and perhaps a bit of laziness have come between me and my blog, but with the Thanksgiving turkey finally finished, I have decided I shouldn't wait until January to start on my New Year's resolution - doing better at staying in touch.

It is a lazy Sunday morning in Lusaka; hot and sunny. A stop by the nearest shopping mall for an iced latte this morning found the Sunday curio market already in full swing. I have already spent far too much money this weekend, so I didn't stay. Perhaps I'll swing by in the afternoon and try to pick up some few last christmas presents.

It is amazing to realize that December is just a few short days away. I find it confusing to think that in another part of the world it is cold - even snowy. In another place, I would probably be playing Christmas music right now, the rule was always no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. Still, it seems mighty strange to play chrismas music while I sit on my front porch sweating at 10 in the morning, and I can hear the airconditioner humming outside the room of my still asleep roommate.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving feast on Thursday. I took the day off of work, as did two of my American friends, and we cooked quite a feast, all completely from scratch. Turkey, gravey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, wild rice and quiche all graced our table, as well as many bottles of wine, apple pie and bread pudding. In the evening, we sat around the living room - Zambians and the odd Canadian and Irishman outnumbering the Americans, but all still enjoying the friendship, laughter, and sleepy post meal haze that Thanksgiving brings. Unlike many other holidays, Thanksiving is an easy concept to explain - it is a day to give thanks for the many blessings in your life, and of course having food on our table and friends to share it with are two of the fundemental necessities in life. Many cultures have traditions that celebrate the harvest, including some of the tribes in Zambia. Of course this time of year - the beginning of the rainy season - is not the harvest season, it is the time to till the soil and begin planting, but it still seems a good time to take stock of all the things I am thankful for. I am extremely grateful for the good friends I have both here and all over the world, and was happy to share a feast to honor them. It was also a chance to think of people and traditions I am missing out on - I thought of my brother, cousins, aunt and uncles sitting around a table (likely with many dogs present as well) in Cazenovia, I thought of my dad in Amherst with his mom and brother, and what it must be to celebrate their first Thanksgiving without my Grandfather, and I thought of my mom and grandmother in boston. I thought of Lizzy and her extended family - their annual pie making party, family soccer game and 2 story dessert party. After everyone had left - sleepy and full by 9pm, I turned on the TV. Because I am currently housesitting for someone with the full cable package, I was able to watch ESPN, and managed to turn on the TV in time to see the last 2 minutes of the Patriots game. Afterwards, I talked to my mom and grandma as they made their way to their 4pm dinner reservations.