When your staff is made up of over 50 different people, from 15 different countries who speak nearly two-dozen languages, Thanksgiving traditions are bound to be fun – and delicious.
Several international members of the New American Pathways team were kind enough to share their plans for the holiday – some of their favorite foods, traditions, and high points of the day.
Carole was born in Haiti, where the day after New Year’s is their Independence Day and is the day they give thanks. Although Carole has lived in the U.S since 1981, she is still very much connected with her cultural roots. A few items on the menu at Carole’s house this Thanksgiving will be a deep fried turkey seasoned and spiced the “Haitian” way, traditional rice and beans from her home country, and a four-cheese macaroni with sautéed bell peppers. For dessert, Carole will stop by Copeland’s and order several Napoleon cheesecakes topped with vanilla whipped cream.
Senior Women’s Program Coordinator, Prisca Uwigabye will be traveling to Rhode Island to celebrate the holiday with loved ones.
Prisca’s friends and family welcome anyone who comes to their celebration as part of their culture, and they feed them like family members. Prisca is excited for the upcoming holiday and believes Thanksgiving should be “a reminder that we need to come together to support, embrace, and love one another.”
Marie-Chantal is looking forward to an all-day celebration filled with laughs with the people who are closest to her, but adds that Thanksgiving is a day for sharing. In Rwanda, Umuganura – “The Day of Sharing” – is the equivalent of Thanksgiving and is usually celebrated the first week of August. Like Prisca, she says that no one is turned away.
Finance Controller, Bambi Bakatukanda will be traveling to her in-law’s house to spend the holiday with almost forty of
Whatever your traditions, we wish you all – our New American Pathways family – a safe and loving Thanksgiving holiday.