Thanksgiving traditions have always been pretty chill in my family, but they’ve also become very important over the years. Drumstick Dash 5k in the morning, followed by a grocery store run to grab a Starbucks peppermint mocha and Black Friday ads, trying to watch the Macy’s parade but falling asleep instead, and eating, eating, eating. I was sad that I couldn’t be with my family this year, but my abroad friends and I created our own special Thanksgiving. And I couldn’t be more thankful that wherever I go, I’m able to find people who become so important to me and can do the impossible: celebrate thanksgiving in a country other than America.

The day started with brunch, because that’s obviously the most important meal on Thanksgiving. I met up with Hannah (visiting from Copenhagen!) and Riana, and after eating, we went shopping at Sézanne, Les Halles, and Galleries de Lafayette. It was getting to be a necessity that I buy some warmer clothes, and the fact that most stores had Black Friday sales was a major bonus. We went to a Monoprix on the way home to get some groceries and rested a bit before we started cooking.

With the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade live-streaming on a laptop, we started on the homemade macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and roasted cauliflower. We did our best with using limited cooking supplies and attempting to translate cups to grams, etc. When Sophia got home, we were pretty much done other than heating up out “turkey” (rotisserie chicken), but when I found her sitting on the ground googling “How to cook green beans” I went ahead and worked on that as well.

As we waited for everyone to arrive, we snacked on bread and cheese, as one does at a French Thanksgiving, and opened our first of eight bottles of wine. In addition to the dishes we had made, we had a veggie platter, sweet potato casserole, and pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies. Sophia’s parents even brought some extra food and drinks for us, and Riana’s host parents and sister dropped by to try our pie. We sat around for hours eating, reminiscing on all our adventures so far this semester, and discussing what all is to come. No matter how much schoolwork or prepping for travel we all had to do, it was a great night to come together and renting each other how much we appreciate our old and new friends, but also our American culture, as ate and chatted in one of the most amazing cities of the world, with a view of none other but the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the distance.

Left: The Fam (minus mom behind the camera) at their Thanksgiving dinner in Roanoke

Right: Thanksgiving in Paris!