Thanksgiving

In years past, we have had huge Thanksgiving celebrations on campus which are open to all. But some of us whined and said that it was just getting too big and didn't feel anything like Thanksgiving. So it was that we decided to do a small meal in our home inviting the church community and a few others.

Tuesday morning the count was 30. By 10:00, it was 40. By noon it was 50 and by evening it was approaching 60. Now realize, we do have a large three-bedroom apartment. But, I had to ask myself, just HOW large is it??? With the ever-gracious help of Moroccans like Mohammad and Asma, I set up 6 seating areas in the living/dining room and two in the guest room. The girls set their own table for 10 kids in their bedroom. The issue wasn't just numbers. It was 'cooking units' as we call them. Families who can cook vs. the students who can't. So several of us 'cooking units' went into high/hyper gear and baked/cooked the days away. More turkeys were ordered from the university food service.

Thursday came. The 'cooking units' arrived. Things looked good. Then the bus came. Yes, a bus. It stopped near our apartment and I watched mostly American exchange students pour off the bus. All headed to our house. Thirty of them. It was like a scary dream that I couldn't wake myself from.

But amazingly, miraculously - it ended up being a good dream. We fit 55 - 60 people in our home. And it didn't feel crowded. And we had plenty of food. The students ate and ate and ate. They were so happy to be in a home. Gerald set up the computer for them to watch the football game which made them even happier.

What did we learn? Since almost no one here has 'family' we are each other's family. We can't have a small celebration. That would be like having a family reunion and not inviting everyone. What will we do next year? We have no idea. But we sure had fun this year!