Holidays are meant to be spent with family. Despite distance, everyone makes the effort to gather from all over a couple times a year to celebrate the occasion, carry on family traditions, make new ones, catch up, have fun, and of course eat.
But being on The World Race changes all of that. Our mindset is elsewhere, coming home for a quick visit is out of the question, and there are beautiful new faces that we now call family. But it doesn’t neglect the feeling all Racers struggle with when the holidays come around: homesickness.
It’s month 3 of my Race and my team and I are living in a remote village in Cambodia. Ever since we entered the country at the beginning on November, all that’s been on our mind is Thanksgiving (aka FOOD) and how we just long to be home with all of our friends and family and devour ungodly amounts of amazing homemade food from our mothers and grandmothers as we spend time together. What’s worse than being so far away on holidays like this is being in such a remote area where the country itself doesn’t even celebrate this beloved holiday of yours. Which leads us to our defense: We have to fight for this holiday.
Just because pilgrims and Indians didn’t make peace in Cambodia and eat green bean casserole next to Pocahontas, doesn’t mean that we can neglect the celebration that’s been carried on for hundreds of thousands of years!!! THANKSGIVING MUST HAPPEN!
As soon as our 2 teams met our contact Vuthy, we told him all about Thanksgiving back home and how we have to make it happen. Who cares if there’s not one refrigerator, freezer, oven, or grocery store within 2 hours… “IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN” we decided. So in prep, we have given the kids Nov. 28th off of school and the planning has begun.
With much discussion, the menu has been selected, items written down, activities planned, decorations created, and the 2 hour van ride to the grocery store in a larger city has been set. We’re fighting for the pumpkin pie, cranberries, and stuffing since we have limited kitchen resources. But whatever happens, it’s gonna be great!
It certainly won’t be the same as being “home” for the holidays. But in the World Race life, your team and Squad is your new family and home is wherever you are together (or where your sleeping pad is).
We told Vuthy how big of a deal this is for us. And because of our new environment and new family atmosphere, last Sunday in church (unbeknownst to us) Vuthy extended the invitation to attend “Thanksgiving” to all the believers in the village!! Whew…. Now that’s a lot of food.
We all agree that Thanksgiving will be very different this year, but in a good way. We’ll spend time with new friends and family, giving thanks to our God for ALL of His incredible blessings to us thus far in our lives and in our Race. I can’t wait to share this special day of thanks with everyone in the village and show them how thankful we are for them and to our God.
With us being the hosts and initiators of fighting for the holidays, all the financial and festive responsibilities land on us. We’ve set up a paypal account and all of my teammates and I simply ask that if you’re willing to give any amount to help provide Thanksgiving for us, we’d greatly appreciate it! Even in it’s $5! Any money left over that does not get used toward Thanksgiving we will split and pass on to Vuthy for the Christmas party that he holds every year and to another missionary woman, Anon, who works as a teacher here for free, so she can return home to India in December to visit her sick parents.
Here is the link to the paypal account. Thank you so much!!
