Thanksgiving. A holiday that for the past 20 years of my life consisted of cold weather, lefse making, and family reunions. This year, however, Thanksgiving looked a little different. The few days leading up to Thanksgiving were filled with several fun events that assisted our group in getting out and about in Buenos Aires. 

Tuesday afternoon we went on a tour of El Museo Evita for our Arts course. This museum, situated in a building downtown that was once used as a temporary home for women, highlights the life and work of Eva Perón, the second wife of former Argentine president Juan Perón. During her time as First Lady, she started a social aid foundation and brought women’s suffrage to the forefront of the political agenda in Argentina. I am excited that we have already explored the life and the importance of not only Eva, but Victoria Ocampo as well — two women who are integral to Argentine history.

Wednesday morning we were visited by Ms. Amor, a primary school English teacher from Buenos Aires. She teaches at two state-run schools (which is how public schools are referred to here) and a private school. We have been learning that it is quite common in Argentina for teachers to teach part time at multiple schools, so hearing about Ms. Amor’s experience was helpful in helping me and the class mull over a few of the questions I have had in my head, such as “In what ways does this contractless employment both benefit and challenge teachers in Buenos Aires?” and “What effects does having part time teachers have on the culture of a school?” 

Wednesday evening our group made our way onto the Sube (the local bus system) with our guide Hérnan to go to Tango class. This was our second week at Tango, and I have to say, we have come far. There seemed to be less stepping on/bumping into one another, and our instructor Roxy and her partner even dared to teach us a few new steps, like the figure eight! Following our lesson, a big group of us went for tacos at a nearby restaurant. Though by now we know it is always a bit of a gamble to show up at a restaurant in the city and request seating for 24 people, they accommodated us so graciously and even gave us a party room in the back! 

Before we knew it, it was Thanksgiving morning. After a slow morning with students choosing to either hang at the apartments or explore the area independently, we met as a group in the lobby to head to The American Club of Buenos Aires for a fancy Thanksgiving lunch. It was fun to see everyone in their “Thursday Best.” At this point in the program, we have completely memorized one another’s wardrobes and have a well ironed out system of borrowing and swapping clothes, so many of us had creatively crafted our Thanksgiving outfits from the community closet. 

When we arrived at the banquet, I think many of us felt a little out of place. With half of us sporting Chacos sandals, we found ourselves surrounded by Embassy officials and presidents of US and Argentine organizations clad in suits and dresses. This being said, it was humbling for us to be included in a Thanksgiving Celebration with such a professional community. The celebration included alternating remarks from important attendees and sing alongs to traditional “American” songs like “God Bless America.” I use the word “American” above in quotations because our group has been really mindful toward how we refer to the United States throughout the semester. To refer to the United States as “America” is a complex perpetuation of imperialist ideologies and ignores that several other countries make up North and South America. The entire experience provided a foundation for long dinner table conversations about the importance of decolonizing the Thanksgiving narrative which, as my table felt, was lacking at the lunch festivities.

Anyway, I was a little caught off guard by Thanksgiving this year as a whole. It was hot outside. My family was celebrating on a different continent. And, above all else, there was no lefse in sight. Because it looked so different from Thanksgivings of my past, it wasn’t until they passed out the turkey and mashed potatoes that I was struck by homesickness. Actually, I think it hit most of my table during that meal, as we took turns crying into our potatoes and laughing at ourselves. 

That afternoon many people took some time to call home and catch up with family and friends, leaving us all refreshed for an evening Thanksgiving party put on by CIEE, the organization our Argentina class is run through where we were able to intermingle with other students from different study abroad programs and hear their stories.

Friday morning, classes resumed with our Education in Global Contexts course, followed by an afternoon visit to the Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires (MALBA) where we examined major movements in Argentine art in the past century. During this visit, it was exciting to see the new exhibit called Soplo by Ernesto Neto, a Brazilian artist, on its opening day. His art challenges the participant to interact with the works and one another as a collective body, and our group certainly had fun doing just that. We later found out he was walking among us as we explored the exhibit!

Friday night, all of us students packed into Zibby and my room for our Friendsgiving celebration. Given that our apartments only have microwaves and hot water kettles, the creativity in dishes was unbelievable. Our main meals included tomato pasta, a quesadilla platter, bread and cheese, an “italian inspired” veggie salad, green bean casserole, zesty green beans, mashed potatoes, and a few store bought rotisserie chickens. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we decided to go around the circle and share what we were thankful for. I found that the overarching theme was, unsurprisingly, how thankful we are for each other’s support, encouragement, and lessons over the past 13 weeks. This period of vulnerable reflection and appreciation ended with a spirited chant of the fight song, and as we sang the last “Um Ya Ya!,” we received a text from Isaac (one of our professor’s sons who happened to be in his room on the floor above us with the door closed) reading, “Excellent performance.” 

So, Thanksgiving. A holiday that for the past 20 years consisted of cold weather, lefse making, and family reunions. This year, I learned that Thanksgiving is so much more than that.

Thanksgiving is making improvised dishes using only a microwave and kettle. 

Thanksgiving is having difficult, but important, conversations.

Thanksgiving is vulnerability and change. 

And Thanksgiving is realizing that friends can be family, too.

— Solveig Gordon ’21