Thanksgiving in Russia

Outside of the US, Thanksgiving is a relative non-entity. Fortunately, we were able to find two different ways to celebrate last week.

On Thursday evening, we joined a group of American expats, most of whom work together at the American Consulate, for a progressive dinner through three apartments that are conveniently located in the same building. It was so comforting to be among Americans, eating all of the traditional foods -- stuffing, butternut squash, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and yes, turkey (ok, so maybe just smelling the turkey). To know that we share the same values about diversity, freedom and democracy was more than just comforting. We made a few new friends and despite losing my voice during the course of the evening, I couldn't have been happier, considering that we were away from family and friends on Thanksgiving.

The following afternoon, we were invited to join the Thanksgiving celebration at the American Corner, which is a special cultural initiative of one of the local libraries. (Matt tutors two Russian students there, which is how we found out about the event.) A fellow American gave a PowerPoint presentation on what Thanksgiving is, replete with references to Native Americans and Pilgrims, to about 50 Russian young adults in the room. Afterwards, we played games in Russian-style English and enjoyed some definitely non-American snacks. This celebration was far less authentic, and yet, still rather enjoyable and heartwarming. It's fascinating that Russians equate learning about America and English with success in the business world -- if only it were that easy! We even met one Russian guy at the event who is raising his 3-year-old son bilingually so that he is better prepared to enter the business world. Talk about forward-thinking!

One more highlight from the past week was the International Women's Club (IWC) Winter Bazaar on Sunday. Basically, it was a huge fair run by expat women from around the world to raise funds for local charities, including many of St. Petersburg's orphanages. Each country or vendor had a table -- I helped bake and staff the USA table, of course! We sold American favorites like chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, snickerdoodles, rice krispy treats, pumpkin scones, banana bread, plus I Heart NY t-shirts, American candy, stickers and pencils for the kids. I'm still waiting to hear about how much money was raised from the event, but it was great to see people from all different backgrounds and cultures come together to create a festive atmosphere and do good in a community that needs more examples of how to do good for others.

Being in St. Petersburg has given us fresh eyes and it's amazing how much we have to be thankful for...Here are a few things that we've learned to genuinely appreciate in America:

• Having drinking water come out of the taps {or water at all, as witnessed by last week's momentary "draught"}
• Communicating without language barriers
• Voicemail
• Discount airlines
• True democracy and a police force that looks out for you
• Toilets in the same room as the sink
• Large, brightly lit grocery stores with lots of choices
• Non-meat protein sources (like tofu)
• Airplanes that stay in the sky
• Warm, sunny weather

And of course...the number one thing we appreciate about America...
Being close (or at least closer) to family and friends

I hope you'll realize by reading this list just how privileged most of us are. We have so many things -- both physically and spiritually -- we should give thanks more than once a year! Lest you think that we're homesick, though, here are a few things we DON'T miss about being in America this time of year: George Bush, Christmas music in shopping malls, the overworked American lifestyle, commercialism, etc. {Thanks to our friend Erin in India for inspiring this list!}

Since last weekend, things have gone decidedly downhill for me. While recovering from last week's cold, I managed to get an eye infection. Then, without warning, I started suffering from severe lower back pain. To make a long story short, it turns out that I may have a herniated disk. I went to the American Clinic here and was surprised to get American-quality medical care! One more thing to be thankful for...I should have been more thankful for my health, I guess! As of today, my eye infection seems to be gone, but the back still hurts like hell. Hopefully the medication will begin to work its magic. We are far too busy to allow something like pain interfere with our work. After all, it's the end of the year, which means proposals for budget allocations must be submitted in the next week or two!