Second Thanksgiving Abroad

I dubbed last year's Thanksgiving the most interesting ever, and it probably was - for the novelty of being away for the first time if nothing else.  I don't get any days off, just like last year, but this time I have a whole network of people with whom to celebrate the holiday.  Everyone I met at the Expat American MeetUp Group's 4th of July Party planned a feast at Bronte Beach (halfway between my home in Coogee and Bondi, along the coastal walk).

Steph, Kylie and Ben

Everyone was instructed to make a dish and I kept it simple with mashed potatoes.  It was more challenging than back home because I had to mash them by hand instead of with a mixer, but they still turned out quite normal.  I made them the night before since the party started at 6 pm.  I left work, changed clothes, heated the dish up in the microwave, and hopped a 10 minute cab ride to the beach.

There were about 40 people huddled around picnic tables draped with American flags, making it very hard to miss.  I saw Ben, Steph, Kylie, Clint, and a few others I had hung out with at Halloween and Urban Frisbee Golf.  It was nice to be around other people that were in the same situation.

There was a lot of turkey this time around. I couldn't find any in Santiago last year, so that was a good upgrade. I didn't have any pumpkin pie, but there was a graham cracker crust pumpkin cheesecake... good enough for me.  Being right on the ocean was nice as well, but dinner with the rooftop view of my Santiago apartment rivals it. When the sun went down it got a bit chilly, but as we walked down to the surf after dinner I kept telling myself... "You're in shorts on the beach and it's November. Suck it up and stop complaining."

So passes another unique Thanksgiving to remember.  I miss you all back home and hope you have a happy Thanksgiving!