I spent this Thanksgiving break back and forth between Louisville and Indianapolis and Louisville again.The goal for our days off was to spend much of our time with my family and my boyfriend, Matt's, family. Yet, the achievements we made were mainly focused on the good food we got to eat.
Tuesday,
my mom and I cooked, my boyfriend liked the food
Wednesday,
the same and the additional cooking experiment of scrambled eggs with cinnamon.
Thursday,
we had a light breakfast, got persuaded to let my sister do my hair and then drove over to his parents house to then later drive to his aunt's house to celebrate thanksgiving.
The drive back and forth was beautiful.
Thanksgiving food included corn souffle, sweet potato casserole, light and dark turkey, corn bread, mash potatoes, gravy, and plenty more, with the main ingredients of love, laughter, and life mixed into the celebration. His family certainly fit into the American cliche of a family. The sweet Grandma who prepared most of the food, the the genius little Cousin, the deafening and caring Uncle, and the quiet and loving Grandpa who gave the warmest hugs to the entire family. I don't think I've ever been to such an intense Thanksgiving.
I do adore my own family Thanksgivings, but I do know that I have now experienced the all-American family reunions we always see on television. While my family is more laid-back, Mat's family is more energetic. While mine is romantic, his is familiar. And while my family focuses on the salsa, his focuses on the games. Both have their positive situations. Even though, at the beginning, I was very nervous and anti-social, the first step I had to take was act and interact; even if I did not feel like it.
There are still many aspects to his family's lifestyle in which I'm in culture shock, and I still cringe to the disregard of other cultures. When it came to Black Friday shopping, I heard one of the family members make a comment towards not understanding an accent, another comment towards how an ethnic community smelled, another person saying something about a people's economic status. The insensitivity was absurd.
Yet, the people are still nice, still caring, still loving. But there is a problem in the education of most Americans on easily making judgments that should not be made. My anthropology professor would talk to me about the emic and etic viewpoints of thinking. That the emic point of view is too often focused in a person's own culture, yet the etic perspective links together other cultures and bring them into everyday thinking. And I think that with most immigrants, the etic perspective is most prevalent because we have seen the good and the bad from two or more cultures and can choose our own culture and choose what we specifically consider most important.
Friday,
my boyfriend and I mostly stayed in his house, working on homework and papers for the upcoming school day this Monday and we begin the dreaded Dead week. Later that night though, Matt's mom and dad took us out to eat at a Mexican restaurant that had the most amazing food. The occasion was to celebrate Matt's birthday since they wouldn't be able to celebrate it this Sunday (today). I had the best food.
It had lobster, shrimp, scallop, oysters, muscles, everything was to die for. Then the birthday cake was even more delicious. The servers put a mariachi hat on Matt and I got to later put some frosting on his face.
The days kept on getting better. Then Saturday came and we got to clean the gutters. More fun than I imagined it to be. And then around 3 pm, me and Matt had to leave. And his dogs knew it. There was a golden retriever, Maggie, and a dalmatian, Didi. And Maggie was the most energetic dog I've ever seen and truly lives up to the idea that the dogs have the same personalities as their master because Maggie and Matt were practically the same.
Such a cutie, just like its owner.
When we got back to Louisville, I got to hang with my mom and brother and watch Rush Hour. And my mom doesn't know Matt that well; but even so, she still went ahead and made him a birthday cake. I love you Mami.
Thumbs up to an interesting Thanksgiving break.
