Global Explorers Blog: Vietnam
Thanksgiving as a Pilgrim
In 1620, the pilgrims set sail across the ocean, leaving everything they knew and loved behind them. Built upon hopes and dreams, they delved into an adventure of the unknown. In 2009, I set out on my own pilgrimage into the unknown. I crossed the ocean, leaving everything I knew behind me, and landed in a new land that I knew very little about. 
Four months had past since my maiden journey and I was settling into my new life in Hanoi, Vietnam. I lived on a friendly street, where the local Vietnamese quickly welcomed me into their homes, as their friend, and as a part of their family. Although the language barrier divided us, we managed to share stories, laughs and customs.
While the heat persisted, I knew that back home in Colorado, the leaves had fallen and the cold frosts of winter had taken full effect. Thanksgiving had arrived. I missed my family and I yearned for a good, old–fashioned American meal. I joined my Vietnamese friends that evening and attempted to explain to them the importance of the day and what it entailed. Through picture books and my broken Vietnamese, the message had somehow vaguely gotten across, at least the important points. An extravagant meal was in order, and as my new family, they insisted on taking me out for my special holiday.
