Giving Thanks: If you know me well, you know I am a holiday person. Not the kind that goes crazy with Christmas tree earrings and home-baked cookies topped with colored sprinkles...No. I just really like the warmth around holiday-time, the good food, the traditions, and the meanings (no matter how deeply buried under commercialism and ugly histories) behind them. To me, despite the sketchy origins of our all-American holiday, Thanksgiving is a time to slow down, spend time with people you care about, and reflect on the many blessings life has reaped. (and yes, their is the eating of the good food).

This Thanksgiving I had two dinners: one home-made with friends new and old and another one, more hectic, for the students. On Wednesday Duma and I, with the help of our host and family friend Shenita, whipped up a fabulous dinner (if I may say so myself). We had roasted chicken and gravy, homemade stuffing (mom's recipe), mom's famous cheese rolls a la CK, mashed sweet potatoes, creamed corn, sauteed veggies, salad and cranberry sauce. To top it off, Jeanne made some delicious apple crumble pie and pumpkin pie for dessert. It was wonderful. We had our buddies Tinari, Calvin and Gabe over and Shenita invited some of her friends.

Gathering to give thanks and capture the moment before we dove into our TG feast.

The next night we had over 200 guests at a dinner for my students, students from our host institution, faculty and staff. It was pretty stressful for me because I had to MC and literally pick numbers out of a bag to call on tables one by one for an hour so that people would not stampede to the buffet line.

Students enrolled in our Gender and Development course work with an organization called CIPFEM, created by past students in our program. They facilitate after school activities and tutoring sessions for girls aged 5-12 and otherwise help them develop as well-rounded students and confident leaders. In order to add some meaning to the dinner and share an American holiday with the CIPFEM girls, I suggested our students invite them. I was shocked at first by the grumblings I heard, "I don't want to have to worry about them during Thanksgiving....this is our holiday....it's going to be too much work...." Fortunately only a minority felt this way and the girls attended the dinner. I think they really enjoyed it and it was a reminder to everyone that these holidays actually can and do mean something more than a race to the buffet line.

Me, Khaita (Serigne's wife), my colleague Serigne, and Duma at our program's TG dinner

Personally, I am thankful for many things...but most of all I am grateful for family, friends, the opportunities that have brought me here, and for all of the lessons I have yet to learn. I am also grateful for the ability to find these lessons in any and every thing: the Alice Walker book I'm reading, the CIPFEM girls, my students, random discussions with friends and roommates, giant Baobab trees and beautiful sunsets....


Helped are those who find something in Creation to admire each and every hour. Their days will overflow with beauty and the darkest dungeon will offer gifts.

Helped are those who receive only to give; always in their house will be the circular energy of generosity; and in their hearts a beginning of a new age on Earth: when no keys will be needed to unlock the heart and no locks will be needed on the doors.

- Excerpt from The Gospel According to Shug, The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker