Thanks...for a Mexican Thanksgiving

I feel like I've neglected the blogging world for quite long enough. Why, I'm certain that a small sector of the global population has all but forgotten about me, and this simply cannot be. As a result, here I am again, typing and listening to one of my roomates' blaring stereo.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. I might not need to remind you, but for most of the world (including Mexico) it was a quite normal day. I drug myself to work, made sure to remind my third graders of the holiday as often as I could squeeze the phrase "Happy Thanksgiving" in, and doled out primary-style wisdom for hours on end. I actually had my backpack already on while at salida duty. The very second that 2:30 clicked on our fingerprint scanners, I was headed for the front gate. For what, I wasn't quite sure, but I was determined to do something quite Thanksgiving-y.

I walked into my yard to the sight of two friends that had the day off, and were stringing lights and baking turkeys. We might not have had an entire day to celebrate, but there's not much that can stop an American from celebrating one of our most beloved holidays in some fashion or another. I had very gladly passed the bulk of party planning to one of my very capable handed (Southern) roomates, so I knew things would go swimmingly. I was completely excited and a little bit anxious because we had over 85-ish to rsvp to the party. Some of these friends are international, so they've never celebrated Thanksgiving. First impressions are priceless, right? We all wanted a great party, not only to actually feel a little like we were at home, but also (at least for me) so my Mexican and European friends could feel at home as well.

After a few minutes of chatting, I was off to buy some centerpieces. You'd be suprised at what the local grocery store provides an hour and a half before party time. Can I pause and tell you here, that one of the most becoming things about Mexico is that everyone is very at ease with "last minuteness"? It's true, and it's lovely (unless you're the one waiting on something, and you're still a bit American at heart). I returned, finished up decorating, and tried my darndest to carve a turkey with a friend. Don't ask me how I fared. Finally, I was off to my room, to get presentable.

At 5:30, as the earliest (read "American") guests were arriving, and the last of the lightbulbs were getting strung and lit, We started dressing the bar out with every stereotypical fare imaginable. It was divine. One of our most respectable co-workers blessed the meal about twenty minutes later, and the party started. There were so many faces that I was so glad to see. By 7:00 or so, we had a general count of 90 or so. Friends kept coming though. After lots of hours, and lots of great catching up (I could hardly eat a bite, I was having such fun), the evening finally wound down, and I found my way back to my cozy bed.

If you've never celebrated Thanksgiving away from home, I recommend it. Really, I do. Everyone, everyone there last night, I feel, truly cherised the holiday, and we all had a precious opportunity to introduce something really lovely to some really lovely people. One of the guys there, a Frenchman told me (in Spanish, I think), "Now, I really love Thanksgiving". I couldn't have felt better, or more at home then, even if I were sitting on my couch in Mississippi, watching a football game. What a really incredible night.