Before I talk about my magical weekend, I have to tell about my favorite holiday Thanksgiving! This time last year, I was working at Disney's Animal Kingdom, which means I missed Thanksgiving. Even though I hated missing it again this year, the students and staff at Santa Isabel and my wonderful host family made it oh so special! |
At school, I discussed with my baby first grade boys about the holiday. Because of their age and level if English, I knew I had to simplify things. I explained that there are two things we do at Thanksgiving. The first was that we give thanks. We talked about what it meant to be "thankful" and brainstormed things we were thankful. Their answer ranged from "my family" to "fruit" to "the moon", but my personal favorite was Miss Brittany, awwwwww!!! :) |
After the boys wrote down what they were thankful for, I also explained that the second thing we do during Thanksgiving is EAT...a lot!! They were shocked to learn that we eat around lunch time, take a little rest, and usually eat again for dinner, ha! I also made sure that they knew we ALWAYS have turkey. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a turkey!
To show a typical Thanksgiving feast, I had each student color a common item served. Then, I displayed their colorings on the chalk board, and I briefly explained each of them. And of course, I pointed out my favorites, like green bean casserole, deviled eggs, and sweet tea!
To show a typical Thanksgiving feast, I had each student color a common item served. Then, I displayed their colorings on the chalk board, and I briefly explained each of them. And of course, I pointed out my favorites, like green bean casserole, deviled eggs, and sweet tea!
Finally, I finished the lesson with the boys drawing what they would have on their dinner plate if they joined Miss Brittany for Thanksgiving. I think they enjoyed this the most. My class is full of little artists!
I also met with my sweet 4th grade girls and they greeted me with a "Happy Thanksgiving Day!" We decided to work together to make a poster for the girls' home room teacher Miss Filo, listing all the things we were thankful for. I wrote that I was thankful for "SPAIN!" :)
Us student teachers were served a special lunch that day, which included turkey and a Kinder bar for dessert. Plus, nearly all the teachers came as well, and I got to know some of the other instructors more. I just thought it was incredibly sweet that the staff went out of their way to make us feel at home. Sarah spoke for all of us and thanked them so much for everything. :)
After school, the Thanksgiving festivities didn't end! My host family joined two others and prepared a massive Spanish feast! Sarah, Faith, and I were so happy for this get together!
The meal started with pica pica" (which is basically a bunch of appetizers) - olives, chips, and sausage! The first and second courses included satires shrimp, roasted mini potatoes, thin cuts of beef with onion gravy, tortillas (not the bread! Spanish omelets), quiche, bread, wine, and more! And for dessert, they made three tiers of brownies!! It was all super delicious!
Although I loved the food very much, my favorite part was when we all went around and said what we were most thankful for. Mine was my host family, and just so lucky I felt that I got placed with them. :)
The meal started with pica pica" (which is basically a bunch of appetizers) - olives, chips, and sausage! The first and second courses included satires shrimp, roasted mini potatoes, thin cuts of beef with onion gravy, tortillas (not the bread! Spanish omelets), quiche, bread, wine, and more! And for dessert, they made three tiers of brownies!! It was all super delicious!
Although I loved the food very much, my favorite part was when we all went around and said what we were most thankful for. Mine was my host family, and just so lucky I felt that I got placed with them. :)
Dinner wrapped up around 10:30, but our night didn't end. Ironically, Barcelona was hosting a huge shopping event that night (Just like Black Friday!) and us gals of course just had to go! It was a blast roaming the streets with all the ladies, and I got some pants too! (On sale even!) Plus, there were dance parties, food and drunk booths, opera singing, and even horses! It was so much fun and a very memorable night!!
Although it wasn't like Thanksgiving at home, I definitely had a fantastic holiday! It was heartwarming how much I felt the Thanksgiving love all day, even though I was 4,533 miles away from home! Plus, it certainly was the most unique Thanksgiving I have ever had, and one I will NEVER forget! :)