What I’m Thankful For

Thomas is an American student studying in Germany as part of the CBYX (Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange) scholarship exchange program. 

The goal of CBYX is to connect the United States and Germany through direct human interaction. “Person to person diplomacy,” as it’s called, builds relationships between the countries by first building relationships between the people. 

To accomplish this, all high schoolers studying abroad with the program complete an ambassador project. This is an activity representing our home communities to our host communities. At least two hours in length, the requirements are very flexible; you could discuss photos of your hometown or play classic American children’s games. The project gives us a chance to showcase the spirit of America in unique and fun ways.

I naturally chose gluttony. Nov. 28 brought Thanksgiving to Germany. (We cheated and celebrated a day late, to have more time to eat.)

On Friday, the house smells like freshly baked Dolly Parton sugar cookies (baking mix courtesy of a pre-program summer trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee). Checking my phone, I see that it’s 13:37. There are 23 minutes until the guests arrive. I peek into the kitchen, where my host mom is pulling a bubbling pan of green bean casserole out of the oven. With everything on track, I have time to run downstairs and hook up the TV to my computer. After 15 long minutes of searching for the right HDMI connection, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade finally appears. A “K-Pop Demon Hunters” balloon begins to float down 9th Avenue just as my host father calls from outside – the first classmates have arrived! 

Cultural exchange programs like CBYX have two main components: the host family and host school. Since exchange students naturally spend more time with our families, the project is supposed to reach out directly to kids from school. But that doesn’t limit when – or where – we can present. Because what says America more than three hours of feasts and “Snoopy films,” as the Germans lovingly called the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie?

Three mismatched tables – pushed together and piled with food – represent the ultimate treaty between nations. Fresh-baked pretzels sit in a wicker basket at one end. At the other end, a bowl of lime Jell-O sits in the vegetable section. (The Germans are skeptical, but I assure them that “green stuff” is a family classic, a great trick for avoiding healthy foods during the holiday season.) A steaming pumpkin soup (classic German) brings a use of the gourd unlike what we’d see in America. Representing the cultural fusion of the program, this traditional American feast has been made from all-German recipes. A platter of freshly baked bread rolls sits next to the jar of cranberry sauce. (Note to future CBYXers: Germans aren’t as big a fan of mixing meat and sweet.) And lastly, the shining gemstone of our dinner: an oven-roasted ham, filled with stuffing and cooked to gleaming perfection.

The project showed me that TV and films treat Thanksgiving like most of our culture: bright, flashy, and loud. That’s what my classmates were expecting going into it. But that’s never what it had seemed like to me in the U.S. Before coming, several classmates asked if they needed to bring me a gift. While that was very kind, my answer – a resounding “no” – surprised them. But passing plates and laughing over Jell-O, this idea seemed to click: At its heart, the holiday is about unscripted joy and making messy memories across the dinner table. It is the best of American culture, no matter where it’s celebrated. Simply put, Thanksgiving is a time to be together, surrounded by the people who matter most.