By: Mailiis, NSLI-Y Korea, Academic Year 2014-2015
On a cold week around two weeks before Thanksgiving, NSLIYians and friends gathered outside of a U.S. base. After entering the base, we walked through a mini Americanesque town to the Minister Counseler’s house. Even just the way the trees were placed in the neighborhood made me feel like I was in the U.S. again. At the house, we met people from the embassy and a few interns, who had prepared a wonderful Thanksgiving spread for us. There was loads of turkey, mashed potatoes, American style vegetables, and stuffing. We even played games with prizes of candy usually only obtainable in the U.S. The most interesting part was talking with other NSLIYians and their friends throughout the night and getting a glimpse at what kind of experience everyone else was having in their own schools and lives.
After dinner, each class presented about Thanksgiving history, modern tradition, and food. It was really great to see how far everyone has come in learning and speaking Korean, and being able to share their progress with the people from the embassy and our Korean friends. It is exciting to think of how each of us will be able to connect even more people in the future with our skills. Feelings over Thanksgiving dinner usually include thankfulness and happiness to be with those you are close with. Even though we might not be as close as family yet, having each other and being able to share our laughter together made it a real Thanksgiving.