Thanksgiving with CDC

At work we held a “taste of Thanksgiving” on the day before. Lots of Thais said they’d been with CDC for several years, but had never understood the holiday. The main idea of our mini celebration was to share the traditions. We sat in a circle while a handful of Americans told what remembered from growing up with Thanksgiving.

The common themes were the three F’s: family, food, and football. Some people said it was their favorite American holiday because it wasn’t tied to presents or religion. At the end, everybody had a chance to mention something they were grateful for.

We didn’t do a potluck. The traditional foods are tricky to find in Bangkok, so we decided not to pressure anyone into bringing something that wasn’t just right. Instead, experienced volunteers showed up with just enough turkey and stuffing, cranberries, and pumpkin pie for first-timers to get a sense.

It was a nice cross-cultural event. Nobody had to travel through busy airports to get there, and nobody fell asleep on the couch after what was really just a mid-afternoon snack.