Postcard from Spain: Holidays Abroad

When you've grown up accustomed to watching Thanksgiving day parades, getting sleepy on turkey, and eating pie for breakfast, it can be an added culture shock to spend the holiday overseas where they don't celebrate this particular occasion.

Instead of a table full of poultry and colorful sides, I found myself in front of a paella buffet in Valencia, Spain. Since I was visiting my cousin, at least I was with family. I searched the spread for something similar—heck anything recognizable since my native English and high school French wasn't helping me read the Spanish menu.

Spying the off-white/pinkish strips that looked meaty enough, I plopped one on my plate loaded with rolls. One bite of the slightly slimy, chewy substance told me it definitely wasn't turkey. My amused cousin told me it was definitely tripe.

It was fine. I washed it down with wine. Bring on the bread.

But plain carbs weren't fulfilling my craving for cranberries and pumpkin pie. Heading to the bakery section of a grocery store, I was optimistic I'd find something satisfying. What I found was a dry loaf dotted with what looked like chocolate chips. But after my buffet blunder, who could tell for sure. Even my cousin, who'd lived in Spain for months at the time, didn't know. It would have to do.

When new experiences like this arise, I have to remind myself to put things in perspective. I was in Spain. Thanksgiving comes around every year, but the opportunity to travel is not always guaranteed. I did get to see the streets and shops start to transform for Christmas. Twinkle lights add something special to any scene, no matter the destination or occasion. It was time to be thankful for having the means to travel, especially outside my comfort zone. There would be plenty of time for pie when I returned to the States.