turkeyyyyyyyy!

Thanksgiving has come and gone here in Spain.   I meant to post this yesterday, but I was incredibly busy and didn't get in until really late last night.  I did have classes yesterday (on Thanksgiving) as well as today.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but only because it didn't feel like Thanksgiving.  Which was a good thing I guess.  We had our program/group dinner last night which was also sort of our "good-bye" party.  We met at the restaurant that they took us to on the first night that we were in Sevilla.  It brought back memories and it was nice to reminisce with everyone about our first impressions of one another, who we sat with/talked to, and where we are now.  It's funny how things change over the course of just a few months.  Being away from our families has definitely made us close friends and brought us together more than I ever thought possible.  

Anyway, at dinner last night, we started off with a couple of appetizers.  First were slices of bread with a tomato sauce and pieces of ham.  Everyone said they were good, but since I'm not a big fan of ham, I didn't have one.  Then they brought out the turkey (shown below).  Sadly, this was not the turkey that we ate, but more for show.  It was nice to see a turkey though and it made it feel more like Thanksgiving. 

 

 Next up was a salad.  It had pasta and pieces of turkey in it, which was definitely interesting, but it was soooo good.  It didn't have dressing but they brought out olive oil (duh!) and balsamic vinegar, and I'm proud to say that I was able to duplicate the "dressing" that our senora puts on our salads at home.  I honestly don't think I'm going to like "salad dressing" anymore...from now on I'm pretty sure I'll stick to olive oil and vinegar--it's so delicious!

 After the salad we had something pretty strange - fish "nuggets."  They were like chicken nuggets except they were fish and they were very lemon-y.  They were pretty good, but definitely strange.

And then the main course - turkey with gravy and stuffing, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob.  All of it was soooo good!!  Now, it definitely wasn't like grandmas' cooking or like mom's, but it was nice to have something similar.  I completely cleaned my plate - even with eating all the appetizers/salad/bread. 

 And a picture of me and pretty much the most precious girl ever!!  It was nice to enjoy our "family" Thanksgiving dinner with the people who are my family here.  I've been so blessed to have found such good friends through this program and to be able to share this experience together.  :)

 And for dessert: some kind of whipped cream/coconut pie.  It was okay, but nothing compares to pumpkin pie.  Or grandma's banana pudding.  Or grandma's apple pie. 

The next picture is of me and my Spanish grammar teacher, Angeles.  I was not a big fan of her when I first met her, but over the course of the semester I have grown to really like her.  She's super nice and she really loves what she does and is so passionate about it.  She loves teaching us and she loves just talking to us.  I'm definitely going to miss her!

After dinner, several of us took our time walking back.  We talked about life here in Sevilla and about going home.  We definitely laughed off all the calories we consumed at dinner.  We picked oranges from the trees (my senora says it's quite necessary to do so as part of living in Sevilla) and tried them.  Probably the most sour/bitter thing I've ever tasted in my life.  It was hilarious to see everyone's faces as we were all standing in the circle, counted to 3, and tried them.  Afterward, we went to a cafe near our house and sat around and talked/played cards.  A great way to spend Thanksgiving!

 MOMMMMMMM!  The next picture is just for YOU!  I know it took me long enough to take it, but here it is.  My senora randomly comes and knocks on our door today and was like...let's take that picture for your mom.  So here, at last, is my beautiful senora.  She has definitely been one of the biggest blessings this semester.  She loves us like her own children and even calls us her "daughters."  She has such a precious heart and I'm going to miss her soooo much once I'm back in the US.

 This afternoon, Camilla and I finalllllly got together to do some baking.  We were craving cinnamon rolls really bad so we went to the grocery store and got the ingredients.  Allegra, our wonderful baker, helped us out (aka did a lot of the dirty work).  :)  It was nice to sit and talk, reminisce a little about the semester, talk about going home, etc. 

Allegra and I preparing the cinnamon rolls!

 And then their senora's cat came in!  Sooooo fluffy!!

 The cinnamon rolls before baking!  Although they didn't turn out exactly as planned, they were still delicious!!