Thanksgiving Weekend

Thursday and Friday of the last week were surprisingly cool during the day which was a welcome change and a great way to get in the Thanksgiving frame of mind. Although no bright colored leaves could be seen out my window and no hint of snow was felt in the wind, Thanksgiving was celebrated on Friday in a “traditional” style with 24 other volunteers – eating good food and catching up on recent events. Thanksgiving lunch consisted of 1 roasted duck, grilled barbeque chicken, goat shish kabobs with grilled vegetables, mashed orange squash, mashed potatoes, stove top dressing, pasta salad, okra casserole, cornbread muffins, canned cranberry sauce, gravy, banana cream pie, apple pie and pumpkinish squash pie. And I am still amazed that we were able to accomplish all this with 2 burners, an oven the size of a large toaster oven and a fire in an open pit. Although it was nothing compared to a traditional feast at the Moon household it was a welcome change from rice/fish and I overate just like every Thanksgiving before. After the meal we enjoyed the cool afternoon sitting under trees and enjoying some drinks before a dance party began at dusk that lasted throughout the evening.
I was very pleased to have the opportunity to speak with lots of family and friends back in the states, even if the conversations were brief they helped me manage the stress of being without family for a major holiday and reminded me of all that I was missing back at home. Everyone sounds great and I love hearing about your activities. The conversations also allowed me to feel connected even if I am hundreds of miles away and reminded of everyone that I am blessed to have in my life and all that I am thankful for including freedom and opportunity.
The Mauritanian Christmas season officially began Thursday night with the playing of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” and the music continued throughout the weekend. The Boghe regional house has plans to begin decorating in the near future and hopes to incorporate local flair into the tree ornaments and typical red and green decorations. Goat dropping garland anyone or maybe red and green African fabric stocking?
Friday, in celebration of Black Friday in the States, I went to the local market early in the morning in search of fabric for an upcoming Mauritania celebration. We went at 10 am, 5 am East Coast time, and although we located no “Black Friday Deals” we braved the crowds and documented the adventure in photos while reveling in typical “American” consumerism and typical black Friday frustrations.