A Day Trip in Germany: 5 Top Ideas
As we transition from the cold and moody weather to the sunny and lovely summer, we all start to get excited about the upcoming holiday season. If you’re tired of...
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Whether you just recently left your home country or have lived in Germany for a while – homesickness can strike from time to time and is often especially present during the holidays or for traditions you used to have at home. For expats from the US living in Germany, one such occasion is usually Thanksgiving – a day spent with family and friends, gathering around the table for an incredible meal, and watching either the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or Football, depending on who wins the fight over the TV remote.
It’s a day that is all about good food, great company, and reflecting on what you’re thankful for. When living in a new country, the food might be different, the usual company a lot harder to reach, and on days like this, what you’re thankful for can feel incredibly far away.
People often describe feeling like a different person after moving to a new country. You make new friends, learn a foreign language, and adapt to a different culture. Still, the traditions you had at home have a way of staying with you, no matter where you are, and it can be comforting to connect that familiarity from home with the novelty of your new surroundings.
The circumstances might be very different. For example, American Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday, which is not a holiday in Germany. So, you might have to work or make arrangements to take the day off. Since it’s a typical workday and life just moves on here, it might be a little harder to conjure that typical, peaceful holiday atmosphere.
Connecting with your family back home might be tricky. When your day moves into the evening, your loved ones might just begin to get busy in the kitchen, and a Zoom session could be hard to fit in. However, traditions are not set in stone. They might require some adaptation or improvisation, but as an expat in Germany, those are skills you’re highly experienced in. Can’t take the day off work? You can celebrate on the weekend. That way, it’s also easier to invite friends and introduce them to the art of engineering the perfect Thanksgiving plate. Zooming with family is hard to arrange with different time zones and other complications? Why not make it a new tradition to record a video message to each other? That way, you have the nice benefit of being able to replay it whenever you need to hear a familiar voice from home.
If you’re planning on cooking up a storm in the kitchen for Thanksgiving, let us help by giving you some tips. Don’t worry, as we won’t go into cooking instructions. Your favorite family recipe has surely been tried and tested, and in any case, you probably wouldn’t want to be told by the Germans how to make the most American meal there is.
What we can assist with, however, is the hunt for ingredients. Certain things might be hard to find, but we’ve rounded up a few good substitutes for you:
Alternatively, check with your local Metzgerei (= butcher shop), as they might be able to source a fresh turkey for you.
In case you’re planning on having a smaller gathering, a whole chicken might suffice.
If all else fails, get a rotisserie chicken from a street vendor around the corner or make yourself a fancy turkey sandwich. After all, it’s the thought that should count, and we won’t tell anybody!
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Thanksgiving is all about reflecting on what you’re grateful for. If you’re an expat in Germany living in your new home away from home, your perspective on that may have shifted or changed a lot. So, whether you’re cooking for a crowd or for yourself, whether you stick to familiar traditions or make new ones – we hope you’re able to celebrate the occasion just the way you like.
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