thanksgiving feast

Last week was packed with crazy long work days and Jackie just got back.  Saturday we handled emails, skype calls, and a meeting until 7 pm.  So afterwards we went off to the major grocery store to restock the house.  Though not wild here, turns out we managed to find a turkey!  After debating for all of a minute, we decided belated Thanksgiving must happen.  And so Jackie and I cooked our first ever Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday:

Turkey: bought frozen at the big supermarket (4.5 kg for about $30 USD), thawed overnight in the sink, stuffed with lemon and onion, cooked for 4.5 hours as directed.  However, our gas flame stove has no temp dial or control, so we ended up just leaving it in an extra hour
Green beans: boiled, topped with chopped almonds
Broccoli: boiled, with a cheese sauce my mom makes
Potatoes: mashed with plenty delicious butter
Camote: a version of sweet potato here, topped with butter, brown sugar, and a touch of cinnamon
Gravy: boiled extra turkey parts with chicken stock, flour, mushroom soup, and bay leaves.  No gravy mix packages here!
Stuffing: white bread, celery, onions, gravy, parsley
Rolls: pack of a twenty mini rolls bought at the supermarket for about $.60.  Will make next time if we plan more than 12 hours in advance.

Glad we could introduce the holiday to some Bolivians, who were a little scared at first by the stuffing and gravy ha. 
From left: Jacqueline (partner in crime), Jeong (MD from US on the project),  Lisbeth (lab manager),
Percy (administrator), Yours truly, Omar (recent MD grad on project)

I'm ever so thankful for the opportunity to be here- for the support of my school, family, friends, boyfriend, and even country.  I'm thankful for the people I work with, who are my only friends here but enough for me.  I'm thankful for the patience and kindness of everyone in my daily life.  I'm thankful for my health and that of my family and friends, especially as I see heartbreaking cases weekly.  I'm thankful for the ability to pay for more than enough food on the table, the bills, and many simple luxuries not afforded to many here.  May we all recognize our needs and our wants, which often pale in comparison to the things we already have.