Thanksgiving In Indo...better than you may think

While no Thanksgiving can compare to one shared with family, close friends, and my mother's delicious macaroni I'd be lying if I did not admit that this year's celebration came quite close. Sure, I didn't get to indulge in the traditional Thanksgiving spread followed by shopping until daybreak at the Williamsburg outlets this year but I did get to share it with many new friends...in Bali and Lombok :)

No later than the second after my last class ended on Wednesday last week I booked it to my house to change and pick up my bags for my five day Thanksgiving vacation. One five hour bus ride and a one hour flight later I arrived in Bali at 10:30 pm Wednesday night to meet about fifteen of my ETA friends for a night out. How do I describe Bali? Well, lets make it easy: The one thought that circulated through my mind the entire night is that this is not the Indonesia I know. This new Indonesia is a "westerner's" playground in the middle of Southeast Asia. Aussies, Europeans, and Americans filled the nightclubs, hotels, shops and restaurants. Bali is gorgeous and is full of so much fun that it is no wonder why so many foreigners flock to the island the minute they have time off.

On Thanksgiving day, I spent the day exploring the shops in Seminyak, Bali with friends, followed by lunch at a Chipotle-esque burrito restaurant, but naturally we ended up at Kuta Beach, the most popular beach in Bali. Later that night all of the ETAs that traveled to Bali (about 15) met for dinner at a nice restaurant for our own Thanksgiving dinner. While there was no turkey or stuffing there was steak and mashed potatoes which was fine by me! We tried to make the event as festive as possible. Fortunately to aid in the festivity Kelly's mother sent cute little pilgrim table figurines and leaf cutouts for a Thanksgiving garland. Not quite sure what a Thanksgiving garland is? Don't feel bad, I just found out myself...A Thanksgiving garland for those of you who are not hip to the latest in Thanksgiving traditions are construction paper cutouts of leaves in an assortment of fall colors (brown, red, yellow, green...you know, the color of leaves). Each person at the table is given one leaf and they have to write down what they are thankful for. My leaf said something along the lines of, "Although there are things I may complain about, I am really thankful for this wonderful opportunity of exploring a new country and getting to know so many new and interesting people, especially my new ETA friends" (note it was a little more eloquent than that). Ordinarily, once the leaves are complete the leaves are strung together and draped somewhere in the house. However, since we did not have a house at our disposal or string for that matter, we exchanged all of the leaves, stood up and read each others out loud. Some people cried. Mind you this is all happening in the middle of a busy restaurant. So Thanksgiving dinner was nice.

While Thanksgiving in Bali was great, the best was yet to come. The following morning, five of us (Courtney, Kelly, Carrie, Emma, and myself) woke up at 6 a.m. to catch a boat to heaven on Earth, Gili Trawangan, an island off the coast of Lombok (the island across from Bali). We spent three days on this beautiful small island where cars and motorbikes are banned. South Bali was a bit of an overload of non-stop bulé* action with obnoxious tourists and crowded and dirty beaches. Gili T is the antithesis to Bali, a little known serene oasis with a very laid back environment. I loved everything about my Gili T experience; the crystal blue water that contained the most beautiful hues of blue imaginable, the fresh seafood caught daily and laid out for your choosing, the gorgeous coral reefs and tropical fish and sea turtles that I saw up close while snorkeling, the picturesque mountain landscape of the surrounding islands, and the cozy and cheap(!) cottage we stayed in. I enjoyed Gili T so much that I had no choice but to extend my trip by one day since I did not have to be in school until Tuesday. Gili T was the best vacation ever and was just what I needed to recoup for school. Peep the pictures below:

 

 

 

 

 

Even amidst the wonderful distractions, I have to admit that Thanksgiving this year was a bit somber. The truth is nothing can really compare to sharing the holiday with friends and family that you love. Fortunately, even though I was far from home this Thanksgiving, my parents and grandmother, made me feel a little closer to home with the great packages I received from them a little before the holiday. The four boxes were replete with all of the essentials. I was aptly reminded that no matter where life takes me I will always have the wonderful family that God has blessed me with and for that I am truly thankful :)

Best,
Kal

*Bulé is Indonesian for Aussie/European/American...kind of like the term gringo is to Latin American countries