Thanksgiving in Kuruman

I celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday, 2010, by traveling to the nearby town of Kuruman. I’ve spoken of Kuruman before: it is an oasis on the edge of the Kalahari Desert! Several of us converged on the town to have a lovely Thanksgiving Day meal with our favorite South African family at the Kuru-Kuru Guest House. (Be sure to check them out if you ever need a splendid spot to stay while touring Kuruman!)

Suzette, Peter, Rob and Moira (Blast! How could I NOT have taken a photo of this lovely family??) fed us a Thanksgiving Day meal with all the trimmings: THREE scrumptious turkeys, (yes, THREE turkeys!!), dressing, broccoli salad, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, fruit salad and several kinds of bread. If that weren’t enough, we were treated to THREE kinds of pie: pumpkin, pecan, and apple and wine all around!

This was the Kuru-Kuru family’s second Thanksgiving as they hosted us originally last year. (Not all of us were able to participate last year, myself included.) The feast was nothing short of breathtaking; considering this was Suzette’s second go with turkey and trimmings. (Turkey is not a preferred meat in South Africa and somewhat hard to find.)

We all nearly cried at the lovely table and American/Thanksgiving decorations. The scarecrow, hay bales, and autumn gourds made us smile and seeing the American flag hung about brought lumps to our throats. It wasn’t as good as being at home, but it was the next best thing!

It was my second and most memorable Thanksgiving in Africa. (Last year’s was only memorable in that I graded 150 papers instead of splitting a wish bone!)

We were lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful South African family to host such an American holiday meal for us. Thanks to all at the Kuru-Kuru!!

Soon, Karen