Holidays, holidays, and more holidays

I know I've been a bit of a slacker with posting these past few weeks, but with the holidays approaching at such a rapid pace, I haven't had much time to sit down and write. Today, I will take you all the way back to November and tell you about my Thanksgiving feast. So, sit back, relax, and try not to get too hungry.

My host parents have had a Thanksgiving dinner with the other four exchange students that they have hosted, so we decided to have our dinner on November 29. A few exchange students came to my host home with their host families and brought some of their favorite Thanksgiving dishes. I decided to make two of my favorite dishes. I made a salmon dish that consists of brown sugar, soy sauce, and some asian spices, and I also marinaded some mushrooms using my mom's secret recipe. These two dishes made me remember home as soon as I smelled them cooking. I was actually super nervous to make them. Although I enjoy cooking, I get a little worried when I cook for large groups of people. I texted my mom almost the whole afternoon to get pointers on cooking. I even sent her pictures of my dishes during the process to make sure I wasn't making any grave mistakes.

Thankfully, everything turned out really nicely. My host mom made an apple and potato cake and of course cooked a turkey. Also, I don't think I've ever seen so many mashed potatoes in one kitchen in my entire life! Potatoes are a huge thing in Germany, and they did not miss the memo that Americans like to eat mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving. We had so much food, and I was really happy to taste food that reminded me of our American holiday. I stacked my plate with delicious food just like I do every year at Thanksgiving dinner, and then I sat with all the exchange students. It was nice to feel like a part of a hodgepodge family and share our traditions.

One thing I also really liked was that we had at least four different cultures mixing together at our dinner. One of my friends has a host family that comes from the UK, and one of the exchange students is from Italy. Our Thanksgiving dinner was shared between the American, British, Italian, and German cultures. I really liked that we all came together and celebrated. It was a good way to start the holiday season and share a lot of our traditions.

To make up for my lack of posting, I am sharing some Thanksgiving pictures below. I promise I will post more in the next couple of days about Christmas in Germany. Happy holidays!