Valle Diaries: Thanksgiving in Sweden

My housemate Andy and I were the two people from the US living in the international dorm this year. We tentatively made plans to host a Thanksgiving dinner in our dorm the Friday after Thanksgiving was celebrated in the US, since Sweden doesn’t get a 4-day weekend! We were blown away by the enthusiasm, support, and culinary prowess of my housemates from all over the world!

A few days before the dinner my housemate Marlies, who used to be a florist, started the floral initiative to decorate the tables. It was incredible how everyone came together to make it all happen so beautifully. There was a floral workshop, a team setting up the common room, a team decorating the tables, and people baking and cooking in both the dorm kitchens, and in other dorms on campus.

Erika and I had to make a second run for decorations The day of the dinner the table ended up looking spectacular!

We had an incredible dinner, and beforehand all 30 of us went around the table and expressed what we were thankful for — mostly being able to be together with such a diverse group of people from all over Europe, South Asia, and the Americas!