Thanksgiving is NOT Halloween

Unlike Minnesota, Thailand only has one turkey (gia nuang) farm making it very rare and expensive. So the 7 of us American teachers had to compromise our turkey for pasta and mashed potatoes. It wasn't quite as tasty as my grandma's and mom's cooking, but it was still good and offered a break from Thai food. Two of our teachers, Michelle and Ryan, deserve the credit for the meal! They made home

made pasta sauce and creatively made mashed potatoes in a rice cooker. Our night wasn't complete without a few drinks, of course. We have heard terrible things about Thai wine so decided not to go that route. Apparently it is made from rice and is very sweet so instead we went for the Hong Thong which is blended spirits. The drinks were alright, but a nice glass of wine would have been much better. The seven us had a very fun night together eating a good meal and playing cards.

On Thanksgiving day I attempted (keyword) to make turkey hands with my M1 class, 7th graders. Thai children do not have even the faintest idea what Thanksgiving is or the purpose of the holiday. I taught them a little about the holiday, showed them my example turkey hand, and we were off and running. I have eight students, five hands were turned in, and two of them resemble turkeys. I kept repeating, "Thanksgiving is NOT Halloween!" To which they would say,"We know teacher." Yet two of the hands clearly resemble Halloween. Mai pen rai.

Overall the holiday was great and gave us a little reason to step away from our usual curriculum and make time for arts and crafts. And of course, reason to have a good meal and drinks.