Friendsgiving- Something for Which to be Thankful

A large portion of our Omni 119 Group of Volunteers came from all over Ecuador to share in a traditional American Thanksgiving feast complete with food, some friends visiting from the States, games, and lots of laughter!  We gathered in the central Sierra city of Riobamba and it really was one of the most memorable Friendsgiving I've ever had.  
Here's an assortment of pictures to share our day. 

David (New York) cooked an amazing turkey with stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce.

The turkey didn't even make it to the table and we were already picking!  The most hilarious part of this scene was that we kept having to shoo the stray dogs back out the front door!

          I see salad, deviled eggs, corn, mashed potatoes, shepherd's pie, macaroni and cheese, roasted vegetables, swiss chard, and green bean casserole! Melissa (Virginia), Ava (Connecticut), Martha (Chicago), Megan (Chicago) and Makenzie (Iowa) are front and center to get a plateful.

The house where we gathered had an enormous open spiral staircase in the center of the dining room, so I had the brilliant idea of making that our buffet.  Everyone was so creative in their ingredients and the food was delicious.  We even had pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread (my donation) and cookies for dessert!

During dinner, we each stood and gave a toast, listing all the things for which we were thankful.  Dean, (New York City) is giving his toast here. As for me, my life has really changed in the past year, and I thanked all my new friends for making this past year great!

Two of my most favorite friends in Ecuador: Lawrence (North Carolina) and Chris (NY). 

Then, we played Cards Against Humanity, hung out on the roof for great views of all the surrounding volcanos and took a lot of fun photos together.

Alex and Kendall (Texas), Austin (Georgia), Melissa (Virginia), Dean (NYC), 
Chris (NY), David (NY) and Katie (Massachusetts)

Here I am with Austin (Georgia), Alex (Texas) and Ashley (Chicago)

Makayla (Ohio) and Ashley (Chicago)

Kendall (Texas), Lawrence (NC), Megan (Chicago), Chris (NY)

Melissa (Miami), Melissa (Virginia), Hannah (New Hampshire)

Josh and Melissa hanging out (both from Virginia)

Ava (Conneticut), trying to take a Selfie with some hilarious friends!

OK, we started getting a little crazy but the alcohol, the mountain views and the incredible clouds were adding to the reverie on the rooftop!

To cap off the night, a full moon climbed up from behind the mountains to shine on us all.

Pinch me... I'm in the Peace Corps, in Ecuador!