1/31/14- 2/8/14

Going on the Italy ski trip to the Italian Alps was unbelievable. I learned how to ski for the first time, in Italy, from Polish men only speaking Polish. I learned to trust myself and trust other people to help me along the way. I ate amazing Italian pizza in the ski lodge and drank cheap Italian wine. The kids who also went on this ski trip were great and tons of fun. I used to only talk to a few American girls, but now I am talking to kids from other countries. The big scandal that happened on this ski trip was when Liberato (Brazil) and Megan (Texas) started dating. Megan, Ashley, and I shared a room which was tons of fun. It also gave me a front row seat to watching the dynamite couple start to figure out their feelings for each other. It is a trip that I will never forget.

12/24/13-12/26/13

The holidays are filled with family, food, and prayers for the people in Poland. They celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with pride and honor. Throughout the three full days of food, you embrace the warmth of your family that is here with you. The first day is about honoring the birth of Jesus while eating 12 dishes of fish. There is no meat or alcohol served on this holy day. The second day is based around meat, chicken, alcohol, and relaxing with your family. The third day is a wrap up of being with your family while pigging out at the table. There are many dishes and tons of different food each day.

I got the honor and privilege to spend this holy holiday with my host family. On the first day my Uncle Piotrek even added a prayer in English “Thank you Stephanie for celebrating Christmas with us. We are happy to have you here with us.” Everyone’s mouth dropped open, my uncle was blushing, and I was grinning from ear to ear. Uncle Piotrek doesn’t speak English and only knows little too few words so to have him say that was an honor. After prayers we got a holy “cracker” that you hold and go around to your family members. You wish each other good wishes for the next year to come like; “I hope you pass your Matura, Ania,” and “I hope your life is filled with nothing but happiness, Monika,” and “I hope our bond continues to grow and we stay sisters for a lifetime, Agata.” Then you finish the prayer by snapping a small piece of the person’s cracker off, eat it, while placing three kisses on their cheeks. You have to go through the entire room and make sure you wish everyone happiness or good health because it is their custom. Then you sit at the table and eat 12 dishes of fish. There is a beat soup called Barszcz Soup that is a tradition that is to always be eaten every year. You place mushroom-like-perogies into your bowl then cover them with the beat soup. It isn’t the tastiest soup but it wasn’t that bad either. I finished my bowl but I didn’t lick it clean. The next 11 dishes consisted strictly of fish. It is known to give you bad luck if you don’t at least try every dish on the table. My host mother told me that if I at least try a raisin or bread from the dish than that counts. My host grandmother, Babcia Zenia, laughed when she watched me only eat a raisin from the first fish dish. She tried to feed me more, but I kept rejecting her offers. Personally, I don’t enjoy eating fish especially if it smells like fish.

Throughout the courses Ania and Monika would take turns playing the guitar while my family sang Polish Christmas songs. We sang “Silent Night” and “Bethlehem”. My host grandparents were shocked I could sing along in Polish, but they didn’t know I practiced the songs with Mama a few weeks before Christmas. It is their family tradition to sing carols throughout the night. It brings Christmas warmth to the house and into our hearts. My host grandfathers would pull out their magnifying glasses and belt the words out loud. My mama had a lovely voice singing the songs next to me. Even when Monika or Ania made a mistake with the notes on the guitar, my family just kept on singing until they repositioned their fingers.

After a few hours of singing and eating, my Uncle Piotrek became St. Nicholas. He placed a curly black wig on his head and handed out the Christmas gifts that were sitting under the Christmas tree. Everyone received at least three presents from someone but none of the gifts had names on them. Each present I received was anonymous because it was technically coming straight from St. Nicholas. I really enjoyed opening the presents with everyone. I gave my host parents; uncle and aunt; and each set of grandparents a Margate woven blanket that I designed and a picture of our “new” family in a picture frame. Each person seemed to be pleased with my gift. The most important gift that I received was a Lilou bracelet engraved with Stephanie Choduń on one side of the silver heart and A.E.D. on the other side of the heart. (A. E. D. stands for Agata, my sister, Ewa, my mom, and Darek, my dad.) It was a wonderful present that really means the world to me! I really feel accepted and part of their family. I am not just an exchange student staying with them temporarily, but rather another family member in the Choduń family. I don’t have to take off this bracelet either. It is now a part of me. I am now Stephanie Raquel Kneble Choduń.

After dinner and presents, Monika hooked up the laptop to the television screen. We were skyping with Ula on Christmas while she is in Ohio. Everyone was asking her questions and wishing her a happy holiday. I know how it feels to be away from your family on Christmas and I could tell she was sad. I know I would be completely homesick if I skyped my family while they are eating their Christmas dinner. As soon as Ula logged on though, she asked to see me. We have never met before, sadly, so it was our first time “meeting” each other. At the end of the conversation, the family sang “Cicha Noc” and she listened to us sing. I could see the tears running down her cheeks and I watched as the rest of the family became sad. Everyone misses Ula dearly and I know exactly how that feels to miss your family. I began thinking of my own family on this night and what I would have been doing if I was home with them. I would be making Christmas cookies with my mother in the kitchen with my dad watches us and my brother watches T.V. I hope to bring this tradition of St. Nicholas and singing Christmas carols home with me.

My parents and I were too tired to attend midnight mass so we decided to go home. It is a tradition to go to the church at midnight but the ceremony lasts about 2 hours. I was exhausted and stuffed with food to sit through two hours of church.

The next day I ate my family at my house, watched a movie with my cousins, and showed my family my photo album from home. They all liked seeing my baby pictures and parents. No one has really seen my home or family so it was a nice treat. My aunt and Babcia loved looking through my album. I tried my best to describe the people in Polish but Ania had to assist me on some words. It was nothing but relaxing and eating all day. Today is the day you can eat meat and drink alcohol. I also got to Skype with my family today. I watched them open gifts and eat Christmas breakfast together. My parents told me they missed me while my siblings enjoyed their presents. I missed being home with them, but there is so much to do in Poland that I am not that sad. There are many more Christmas celebrations to come in the future.

The last day of Christmas was just relaxing. We finished off the dishes of food from the past two nights and sat on the couch watching T.V. Some of the Christmas decorations were taken down and the house had to be cleaned again but not as much as we did before Christmas. It was a different kind of Christmas for me because I don’t have Christmas trees or 12 dishes of fish or a St. Nicholas to hand out presents. At home we just open gifts Christmas morning with everyone, eat breakfast together, and then leave to meet up with friends that night. It isn’t spent seeing my whole family or having a huge Christmas dinner. We celebrate the holidays a non-traditional way. I will bring some Polish traditions home with me.

Stephanie Raquel

12/22/13

Today I went with my host dad to buy a Christmas tree. I have never gone Christmas tree shopping before so this process is all new to me. I have only seen families buy the tree in movies in America. Before we bought the tree though, we had to clean the house. We cleaned all weekend in preparation for Christmas. Agata and I had to scrub the kitchen cabinets with soap and water. The curtains had to be washed too. Every surface had to be spotless. After cleaning my mama went around inspecting our work to approve or tell us to clean again. It was a lot of tedious work but I guess our house was very dirty. The cabinets did look so much whiter after they were scrubbed though. This process of cleaning is done before Christmas and before Easter. It is all part of their traditions.

My dad and I searched Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the perfect tree. Finally on Sunday morning at 9am we saw a nice, big tree. We checked a few stores but found ours through a private seller. Once the tree was wrapped, we laid it on the roof of the car. My dad used long rubber wires and electrical wire to tie it down. He tied it down really tight to the roof while I stayed out of his way. Usually Ula helps my dad buy the tree but this year it was my turn to help.

When we arrived home with the Christmas tree, my mama came outside pleased with our pick. Christmas time is finally coming and this year it feels like actual Christmas to me. I have never had a tree, or decorations, or a true Christmas celebration. It is a season of happiness and new experiences.

Stephanie Raquel

12/12/13- 12/15/13

Christmas time is coming and you can feel the warmth in the air. People are buying gifts, decorations are being hung, and families are spending more time together. This weekend my exchange student family got to spend a little Christmas time together. I took the train to Wroclaw with Lana, Ashley, and Sunny to go meet the other 60 exchange students. We talked about what each of us our buying our host families and what we think they will buy us. It was a fun 8 hour train ride together.

Once we arrived at the train station, there wasn’t a Rotaract there to meet us. Thank goodness we had a teacher from my Paderewski High School because he took us to the hostel. We dragged our bags across the streets through 5-6 blocks. We ended up switching bags with each other because our own bags were too heavy for us. I held Lana’s bag, Ashley held my cake, Lana held Sunny’s suitcase, and Sunny held Ashley’s bag. Good thing we have each other to rely on.

We were the first people to arrive at the hostel and we got to room with each other. Everyone finally came, dragging their bags up the stairs and hugging the rest of us. The weekend wasn’t anything like I expected. The Rotaracts did not have everything figured out so we didn’t really see anything exciting. We went to one museum that was interesting, but the rest of the places were extremely boring.

The best part of the weekend was hanging out with my friends. It felt great to get a hug from Ashley, Sam, and Grace! They are my sisters on exchange. For Christmas, I bought them a coin purse from Turkey, nail polish, German candy, and traditional key chains from Turkey for their blazers. Grace bought us each animal sweaters for Christmas. I received a penguin sweater that is super adorable! I also got penguin slippers that were equally as adorable. I enjoy giving gifts to my friends as much as I enjoy receiving them.

At the Rotary Christmas meeting, we all dressed up very nicely. The girls did their makeup and boys were suites. We walked in the cold to the meeting, which was horrible, but then we all took pictures in the coat room. It was nice finally taking a group picture with all our Rotary Blazers. The best part of the entire weekend was singing with the other exchange students though. It made us a complete group instead of 5 other countries staying in one country. We sang all the typical Christmas carols like “Let It Snow,” “Silent Night,” and “Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer.” The final song of the night was “We Are the World” which was belted out by all the exchange students. We wrapped our arms around each other’s shoulders and swayed to the rhythm. It was a feeling of unity with the other exchange students.

We sang the song until all the Rotarians left the room. Lastly, we all hugged Caroline as she cried about leaving Poland. It was her last meeting and she leaves for Australia next weekend. It made everyone sad because she is leaving. We had one big group hug while wishing each other merry Christmas and happy new year. It made our group of 60 become finally unified.

Stephanie Raquel

12/6/13-12/11/13

Every month I get sick at least one time. October I had the common cold, November I had tonsillitis, and December I now have a stomach virus.

This week I have thrown up multiple times each day. In the beginning I threw up every hour, on the hour. I couldn’t keep anything in my stomach. I didn’t even want to drink water. My muscle would spasm frequently and cause unbearable pain when I vomited. It was a horrible week.

Even though December 6^th is St. Nicholas Day, I stayed in bed. This is the day where St. Nicolas comes to your house and gives all the kids their first Christmas present of the season. When I woke up, there was a present on my door. My host mother bought me a matching scarf, mittens, and hat set. There was also a chocolate Santa Claus and a sheep calendar about happiness. It was such a nice gift! Later that day my host grandfather came over with a gift from St. Nicolas also. He gave me Pantene shampoo and a chocolate bar. It was a really nice gesture except I thought he was implying that I needed to wash my hair more. Agata reassured me that she, Monika, and Ania sometimes get gifts like that because Babcia Zenia and Dziadek Edmund don’t know what to buy. Babcia Maria and Dziadek Andrzej bought me a candle holder that is a red house with a snowman out front.

At night though, I cried to my host mom because my back muscle was causing unbearable pain. My host dad placed a muscle relaxer pad on my back and my host mom gave me medicine. I couldn’t sleep through the night and I threw up twice every hour.

By December 9^th I became extremely dehydrated. My host mom was very worried and begged me to drink water or I would have to be taken to the hospital. Water became my best friend even though I threw it back up. At the end of the day I had managed to go two hours without vomiting.

My mom called me each day to check how I was doing. My mom said I am a strong person for getting through illnesses while in another country. It sucks being apart from my mother while sick because she always makes me feel better. Now I have to get my medicine, make warm food, and tuck myself into bed. A motherly hug is what I need right now. My host mom has prescribed medicine to me though and kept a close eye on my health. Thank goodness she is a doctor!

On December 10^th I didn’t throw up and just slept the entire day. I woke up once to go to the bathroom but I slept the entire day. It felt great to refresh my body of energy. I felt refueled and ready for the weekend. They don’t have Gatorade or Ginger Ale here in Poland so I have to drink just water. I didn’t eat anything until the 10^th. I finally ate chicken noodle soup, but not a lot because my stomach still hurt. It is a tough process to recover from sickness.

I lost 6 pounds while being sick. I look so thin now, but it wasn’t a healthy way to lose weight. I can’t wait to go to the Wroclaw meeting this weekend and get a hug from my friends. An American hug is the best kind of hug. I am finally healthy and ready for this weekend.

Stephanie Raquel

12/4/13-12/5/13

For the past two days, I have decided to work out at the gym in my school. There are machines, treadmills, elliptical, free weights, yoga balls, and rowing machines. It was time to get back into shape because what else was there to do in my free time? All I did was read books in the hallway at school or read in classrooms. Gabi, the gym teacher, thought it would be better if I joined him in the gym to work out. Working out releases endorphins which makes me feel wonderful after. It brought a purpose to me for having to go to school. I felt determined to slim down before the year was over. Unfortunately the past two days I had pushed myself too hard.

Last night was the worst night I have ever had in Poland, not counting the emotional pain I have been through. I went to bed around 11pm thinking my worst problem was having to wake up at 7am the next morning…I was completely wrong.

I woke up at 12:30am writhing in pain. I couldn’t hold back my groans as I grabbed my side and rolled around in my bed. The pain was overwhelming and never let up for 30 minutes straight. There was only one person I wanted to talk to while this pain was surging through my side, my mother. I had no idea what was happening, it all took me by surprise. When I first got into bed my muscles were a little sore with minimal pain but while I slept it had progressed into unbearable pain.

I dialed my mom’s number and waited for her to pick up. She answered cheerful, as usual, which made me really wish I was home with her. My mouth had gone dry from the big breaths I kept taking which made it difficult to get any words out. My mother asked me questions about how strong the pain was and where the pain was located. My eyes were shut, the phone pressed between my right ear and the pillow, and my hands were holding my left oblique.

My tolerance level for any kinds of pain is completely nonexistent. As soon as a part of my body is aching then I become incredibly ill. My mind shuts down and my body starts to lose control. When I was in the 9^th grade, I was getting off the bus after school ready to walk home. It was a rain storm outside and the bus floor was quite wet. As I walked down the stairs, I slipped on the second step and fell on my back. My elbow slammed onto the bus floor and pain shot through my arm to my hand. I got up, brushed my butt off, and walked the rest of the way home holding my elbow. I called my mom while holding ice to my elbow and explained the situation. She said she would be home soon to check it out but it is probably just bruised. When the ice pack had eventually turned to water, I decided to take a shower before starting my homework. The steam was hot around me and my elbow was still throbbing. Ten minutes in the shower, my sister heard a huge thud come from the bathroom. Gina came running inside to see me laying on the floor with my eyes rolled into the back of my head, the hot water still running on me, and my head leaning on the tile wall. I had woken up five minutes later to hear Gina screaming in the bathroom for me to wake up. Gina later said she was afraid I would turn into a zombie so she couldn’t stand to be in the bathroom with me. Once my eyes peered around the shower door to see Gina rocking herself on the floor, screaming my name, I threw up twice on my legs. Gina asked me if I was okay, but my tummy was hurting along with my head and elbow. The ambulance arrived and took me to the hospital where I met my entire family in the emergency room. From then on I realized my body could not handle pain.

While on the phone with my mom, my eyes were closed but I started to realize I was going to black out if I didn’t do something fast. I told my mom my head was becoming fuzzy and that’s when she started yelling orders through the phone. She instructed me to lay down and put my feet into the air. My body was violently shaking because it felt like it was below 32 degrees in my room. My head had slowly stopped spinning but I did not feel good. My bladder was saying I needed to pee but my stomach was telling me I needed to throw up. I ran to the bathroom with my trashcan, Advil, and my phone. I took the Advil then sat in the bathroom with my head in my trashcan. My mom had to go to a meeting with my dad but she instructed me to stay strong and be the doctor for myself. As soon as we hung up, I threw up 6 times into the trashcan. My stomach was doing flips as it squeezed everything up my throat. I was afraid I had thrown up the Advil before it had time to dissolve but at this point I didn’t care. My heart was aching to be home with my mom where she would take care of me and tell me everything will be okay.

Finally the wave of nausea passed and there was enough time to make it back to my room. I tied up the plastic back that contained a mess in the trashcan and carried everything back into my dark room. I found another plastic bag sitting in the corner of my room just in time. Another wave of nausea was surging from deep inside my stomach, it pulled back like an arrow being pulled back against a bow, and then it released at full force. I threw up 3 more times in a new plastic bag. There was nothing left in my stomach but water by the time the wave of nausea had subsided. The jolt of energy sent from my stomach as I forced the rest of the remains up and out of my body had pushed on my bladder also causing me to pee my pants a little.

My bodily functions were out of control and it made it hard to keep all my fluids trapped inside me. I ran to the bathroom when I stopped throwing up and changed my pants. I tied up the second back and placed it into my trashcan. Around 2am my body finally seemed settled down, but now I was unable to fall back asleep. My bladder kept sending signals to my brain saying I have to pee again but it was only spasms of my muscles. I laid in my bed and read my book Digital Fortress by Dan Brown until I became tired. Except the message of being tired never registered in my brain. I stayed awake reading 240 pages in my book which enabled me to finish the great novel. Now, it was 5am and still I couldn’t seem to fall back asleep. I texted Gina and told her the entire fiasco that occurred in my bedroom. We chatted for a short amount of time and by 5:30 am, I finally fell asleep.

This morning around 7 am my host mother woke me up to catch the bus to school, but my stomach was still uneasy. Luckily my host mother left for work at 7am which meant I was home alone. I decided to roll over and skip school today. I could use the extra hours of sleep because the fiasco had drained all my energy. I ended up only sleeping about two more hours because my body had enough. I cleaned out my trashcan, took a warm shower, and ate toast. My stomach is still queasy at times but it’s starting to settle.

This situation showed me I need to take care of my body better. Results aren’t going to happen any faster no matter how hard I push my body. Also, I am alone in this country. Sure I have a great host family but sometimes you have problems that is better taken care of alone. Independence is a huge responsibility especially when it comes to my own health. I need to eat better and exercise the proper way. But trial and error is all a part of growing up.

Stephanie Raquel

12/4/13

Happy Birthday to Ashley Pez (ME)!! You are getting older and wiser which makes a person even more beautiful. Experiencing the world at such a young age makes a person blossom into a beautiful human being.

After Polish lessons with Lana and Sunny, I met Ashley at the plaza. We enjoyed watch Catching Fire, the second movie of The Hunger Games. It was just as exciting and thrilling just like when I watched it the first time with Inga, Sunny, and Lana. When the poisonous smoke was hurling down the mountain towards Katniss and Peeta, I grabbed Ashley’s arm and covered my face with my sweater. Ashley and I bonded in the theater as we became flushed every time Katniss kissed Peeta or Gale. It was super nice bonding with Ashley! I really hope she had a good birthday even though it wasn’t how she originally planned to celebrate turning 17 in Europe.

In the morning Ashley had told me her Polish friends cancelled because they were too busy to watch a movie with her. I felt horrible and a rush of sadness swept over me. I remembered my 14th birthday when my first boyfriend cancelled on me because he wanted to hang out with his best friend instead of going out to dinner with me and my family. I remembered my 18^th birthday too when a different boyfriend cancelled on me because he wanted to work the late shift and gain more money for his trip out of the country. I know how it feels to be cancelled on, especially on your birthday. My heart goes out to Ashley so I wasn’t going to let her have no plans for her birthday! I accepted her offer in a heartbeat!

Even if it’s not the friend she wanted to spend her birthday with, I am still glad she wasn’t alone on her birthday night. Everyone needs a friend to celebrate this time.

Ashley is one of the sweetest, most innocent girl I know. She only deserves to be happy. I am glad I went to the movies with her tonight. It made me happy when I left to get on my bus, I left her smiling as I said my last “Happy Birthday” of the night.

Stephanie Raquel

12/2/13

Today I had the weirdest morning in my entire life!

Last night I was laying in my bed until 1am looking online for Christmas presents to send to my parents. I overheard outside my bedroom door Agata and my host mom talking in Polish about something. Then I heard the loud creaks of the stairs as they each walked upstairs to their rooms. I figured everyone was going to sleep so I should too. Then a few hours later I heard the stairs creak and my family talking outside my door. The tea kettle was boiling and my refrigerator clicked shut after someone opened it. It sounded as if it was a normal Monday morning preparing for the busy week ahead. I rolled over to see why my alarm on my iPhone hadn’t gone off yet and surprising my phone read… 4:30 AM.

Why was everyone awake and busy at 4:30 AM? No one had bothered to mention to me this addition to our regular Monday routine. Usually on a Monday morning when Agata is home, my host father takes me to school then comes home to pick up Agata and drive her to Krakow. Instead this particular morning my host family all decided to wake up at 4:30 and not send me the memo. I questioned this event and then decided it was nothing. If they really needed me or it was important then they would wake me. I rolled back over and fell back asleep.

It was now 7 AM and time to get ready to school. I turn off my alarm and listen to see if anyone is using the bathroom. I didn’t hear anyone outside my room, at all. No one was moving around. No one was heating up the tea kettle for their morning tea. No one was taking a shower. No one was making breakfast. It was extremely weird for Monday morning.

I walk out of my room to use the bathroom and when I walk back to my bedroom, I stand in the hallway for 20 minutes just listening. No one was moving around upstairs either. It was as if I was the only one home this morning. My host father’s shoes were gone, my host father’s car was missing from the driveway, and Levis was still lying on the kitchen floor.  It was just me and Levis.

I decided to sit on my bed and wait for someone to appear but 7:30 AM came and no one appeared. I bundled up and walked to the bus stop. There was no text message waiting for me on my phone from my host parents. I felt alone and in the dark.

When my day ended and I got home from the plaza at 7 PM, my host mother said hello to me and acted as if nothing out of the ordinary happened this morning. It was an extremely odd morning.

Stephanie Raquel

12/1/13

Round two of eating Thanksgiving has begun. My entire family came over to have my Thanksgiving dinner. My host parents helped heat up all my dishes as well as make some Polish dishes so there would be more to eat. It was a twist between an American-Polish Thanksgiving.

We all sat around the table eating my food. Everyone ate 2 full plates of food which made me really happy. Babcia Maria was pleased with the way the food turned out. I cut everyone a piece of turkey because it was my turkey…well my host dad designated this position to me. It was an honor to have everyone enjoying the dinner I prepared. Everything was finished except for a small piece of turkey but I will enjoy that for lunch tomorrow.

I am very proud of myself for deciding to make Thanksgiving dinner and following through on my commitment. Before, I would say I would do something but never follow through on my promise. This is a new leaf consisting of hard work and dedication.

Today is also the 5^th day of Hanukah and my host mother remembered. She bought me gelt which was a huge honor! The gelt were shaped like Euros and the chocolate was really good. I didn’t think my host mom knew about Hanukah or when it was happening this year, but she surprised me with a small bag of gelt. I told Agata why we receive gelt on Hanukah because she didn’t know about the Jewish tradition of the dreidel game.

Today was full of my family traditions from back at home and I taught my family here all about them.

Stephanie Raquel

11/30/13

Today is the unofficial Thanksgiving in Poland. At 7 am my host dad and I pulled the turkey out of the dog food container that was brining for 24 hours. We placed the 18 kg turkey (they had to special order the turkey because turkeys this size aren’t sold until Christmas) in a tray and rubbed it down with oil. We then rubbed it down with salt and pepper. Honestly, I watched my host dad take care of the turkey. I only told him what seasonings to use. He gave me all the credit though for his hard work. After we placed the turkey in the oven, I went back to bed for another hour of sleep before Babcia Maria came back over my house. She came over at 9:30 am to help finish cooking the stuffing and soup.

Around 12 pm my host sister came downstairs and she talked with us in the kitchen. I am getting better at understanding Polish. I would say about 75% of what Babcia Maria is saying, I understand. Agata laughed at me because she remembers when I didn’t understand anything and now I understand some of the conversation. Babcia Maria and Agata talked about Agata’s hot new roommate. Apparently he likes Agata and tries really hard to impress her. It is super cute and she seems happier than before he showed up. Every girl loves attention though.

When 4 pm finally came, everyone arrived at my house. Ashley (ME) walked in with pots and containers full of food she made at her house. Sunny came in with Chinese dumplings that we wanted to prepare but didn’t have enough time. Lana came with a giant smile and empty belly. I was super nervous to have everyone try my food because they might not like it.

While the parents talked in the family room, Ashley’s host parents and my host parent, we heated up the food Ashley brought. Sunny also helped me make the gravy for the turkey. Lana helped me cover the warming sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Ashely heated up her white potatoes in the microwave.

After 30 minutes of struggling to heat up some food and keep other food warm, dinner was served. There wasn’t too much wrong with the dinner. The only real disaster was the motzah ball soup. The motzah balls were hard and raw in the middle. The soup didn’t taste anything like my grandmom’s soup either. But at least the dinner was delicious. My parents and Ashley’s parents didn’t understand the concept of Thanksgiving because they didn’t stuff their bellies with food to the point of being uncomfortable. So the girls and I stuffed our faced while the adults paced themselves. It was awkward to have us keep refilling out plates while the adults just watched. Shortly after they left the room to talk. I think I ate 4 plates full of food once they left.

We sat the table resting and chatting for about one hour until we could handle eating dessert. Lana melted chocolate and Ashley opened all the candy and cookies she brought. We ate Ashley’s apple pie, which was delicious! I ate 2 slices and packed a few more slices in a container for later. We also made candy/cookie turkeys to get in the theme. Ashley taught us the cookies were the feathers, the marshmallow was the body, and the head/beak was the candy corn. Everything stuck together with some melted chocolate. It was nice watching my host parents make the turkey together and then sit back to appreciate their work. My host mom took her time making it look really good and then my dad ate it once she was done. It was a lot of fun. The candy turkey is a tradition that Ashley does with her family back in the states.

This thanksgiving was full of mixed traditions and it was wonderful sharing it with people that have never experienced Thanksgiving before. Sunny and Lana have never seen Thanksgiving before because they don’t have a holiday like this in their countries. My host parents enjoyed my homemade recipes that my parents sent from America. I also taught everyone what motzah ball soup is because this is a traditional Jewish recipe. Ashley’s host father asked me questions about my religion and some other customs that I do on other holidays. Even though I am not home with my family on this holiday, I am thankful to have these wonderful people with me on my exchange.

Stephanie Raquel