Seeing as Thanksgiving is my favorite Holiday, I set myself to tackeling it here in Austria. Although it will never be quite the same as at home, namely because of the people missing, it should prove to be an enjoyable and interesting experience. Everyone was overwhelmed by the size of the turkey that we had to store outside in the cold. It was too big for the fridge (way too big). At 7 kilos I didn't want to mention that it was even a bit smaller than I'm used to. Everything here is a bit smaller than I'm used to, except carseats and strollers, which are for small people. Whatever. My mother-in-law found a lady that comes to town every Thursday to sell turkeys. The pumpkins in the basement will do for my first completely homemade Pumpkin Pie. I managed to find cheddar cheese for my Grandma's delicious cheesy potatoes. And, really, the best part is that my Austrian family has no idea what it should taste like, so as long as everything tastes good, we're golden, as is the turkey. It's not only a challenge to make everything taste decent, but to show Austrians that Americans do cook from scratch, and even do so often. Think about what comes out of America: McDonalds, Potato chips, microwaves, TV dinners. (also known as fake, fatty, junk.) As I sat down at the Thanksgiving table and my husband's 100% Austrian Omali said, "du bist eine gute Köchin", I thought of all the people around thinking Americans cook obesity into the world and felt I had done a little something for my homeland (we don't need to mention the 2000 calory meal we then consumed,) But really, the food and the day were great. Thank you everyone that participated and thank you Pilgrims for starting such a fine day. It was even more fitting that everyone wore shirts from Lakeshirts In Detroit Lakes, MN and therefore we didn't only eat like Americans, but we also looked American. And I do have a lot to be thankful for this year. In the first month of arriving here in Austria, Jonas found work, we all have health insurance, we bought a car, we found an apartment, we found a church, and I received my visa to stay here another year. God is blowing us away with his faithfulness. A small update: We will be moving into our own apartment this week. After 6 months of living with family, we are so excited and relieved to soon be on our own again. It is a town of about 11,000 people in the state of Upper Austria, 20 minutes from Linz, the third largest city in Austria. Enns is a beautiful old city, the oldest in Austria, founded in 1212. I will post more about it when we are actually living there. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving as much as I did and can look forward this advent to the coming of the King.
2 Comments
Danny and Merilee Ottoson
12/12/2015 04:20:48 pm
I loved your blog regarding your first Thanksgiving in Austria! I'm sure your meal was a big success! It looked good on the photo. So glad to hear Jonas is working and that you are moving to your own place. You are missed in Minnesota, but you've brought some of Minnesota with you to plant in Austria. Blessings...
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Sarah Griffith
12/12/2015 09:57:03 pm
So happy for you all! Let me know when your new place is ready for visitors :)
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Stay updated!About me:
My name is Rachel. My husband, son, and I recently uprooted our lives and moved to Austria. Join me in all things new: language, cooking, church, child-rearing. We're doing the same things, but oh so differently. Archives
June 2016
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