Though I had the most untypical Thanksgiving meal yet on Thanksgiving (goose, pork fat, beans mixed with goose insides/intestines, boiled cabbage, tofu), I felt like I had did the most traditional Thanksgiving activity yet on my favorite day - helping the "Natives" with their maize crop. OK,so there is not actually any evidence that the Pilgrimes helped the Native Americans with their harvest, but I had this romantic idea that this could have happened anyway, and that was enough for me. Anyway, I was in a village far off from the main road. In this village, Hmong people live there and I happened to be there when the maize trader arrived to collect the maize. A lot of activity ensued and I decided to join in on it by helping the women carry 80kg bags of maize seed. It was a lot of fun and I was very happy to be among such strong, beautiful, and happy women. Even their clothes put a smile on my face. They wear beautiful skirts which take 1 year to make even when working! Everything was so colorful and active. The way the maize spurt out of the machine, the smiles on the women's faces as they mingled with me...
Unfortunately, I also experienced the most uncomfortable Thanksgiving ever in terms of health because I got very ill from food I ate on that day. But, this is a small price to pay when traveling and having wonderful experiences.
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