A Very American Thanksgiving- In Korea!

For Thanksgiving the whole group got together and we had our own version of a very American Thanksgiving here in Korea!  We all chipped in to rent an apartment to have our dinner at.  We needed the use of a fully stocked kitchen to cook everything, and SK Global House isn't the most festive of locations.  The apartment belonged to an older Korean couple who went to the States to visit their daughter for the holiday.

Jim and Rosie did almost all of the cooking.  They made delicious stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, and many other things.  With the money that we all contributed, we bought many "American" items like dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc. from the American base, as well as an American grocery store that's in Itaewon.  Also, we ordered our turkey from the American Base.  I even made a cheesecake, which despite the doubts of some particular family members, came out great!

I went with my friend Steve to pick up the turkey and the pumpkin pies at the U.S. Army base in Itaewon, Yongsan Garrison.  It was very cool seeing the base.  We had to show our alien registration cards and get checked in.  We ordered the food from the hotel that's on the base.  It was a very nice hotel, very Western looking, with a beautiful lobby and restaurant inside.  It was nice not to be the minority for a little while; we were surrounded by fellow Americans.

When the turkey came it out it was a lot smaller than Steve and I were expecting, we were a little nervous at first, but it ended up being the perfect amount for everybody.  We were 14 people total and we did an excellent job of demolishing all the food, no leftovers for us!  As we ate we all went around and said what were thankful for.  I said I was thankful for my amazing family encouraging me and affording me this excellent opportunity.

Later on in the evening we watched the movie "It's a Wonderful Life".  We all stayed the night since the apartment was still ours until the next day.  The next morning we made scrambled eggs, pancakes, and banana bread, continuing with the American theme.  Around 11:30 we snapped into gear because realized we had to be out of the apartment by noon and we still had a lot of cleaning to do.  We got it all done though, and after a million dishes (the apartment did not have a dishwasher!), many remade beds, and a thorough vacuuming, we checked out of "Hotel Nice-Korean-Couple".

It was a lot of fun spending Thanksgiving with all of my study abroad friends, and it was so much fun organizing our own little American holiday.  I definitely missed Thanksgiving with the family though, and it made me a bit more excited to go home.

Our delicious Thanksgiving dinner made by Rosie and Jim

Jim carving the turkey