那一年，我在贝宁为感恩节做了意大利面煎蛋饼

One of my best Thanksgiving memories was just last year, sharing a feast of spaghetti omelets in a village in the West African nation of Benin.

我最美好的感恩节回忆之一是去年，在西非国家贝宁的一个村庄里，我们共享了一顿意大利面煎蛋饼大餐。

In 2017. I began my two-year service as an Education Peace Corps Volunteer. I expected to feel lonesome during the holiday season, longing for the traditions and comforts of home – which for me is now Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

2017年，我开始了为期两年的教育和平队志愿者服务。我原以为在假期里会感到孤独，想念家乡的传统和舒适——对我来说，现在的家乡是南卡罗来纳州的普莱森特山。

But my fears of holiday loneliness couldn't have been farther from reality.

但我对假期孤独的恐惧与现实相去甚远。

From the first Thanksgiving to the last Christmas of my service, I felt more thankful and loved than I remember feeling in a while, mostly due to the people I was surrounded by — and not necessarily what was on the table or gifts given.

从我服务的第一个感恩节到最后一个圣诞节，我感受到比我记忆中更多的感激和爱，这主要是由于我周围的人——不一定是餐桌上的食物或礼物。

Life in Benin was definitely challenging. I was an English teacher at a secondary school in Gouandé, a rural village of some 20.000 people. In addition to teaching three classes on my own and two with my colleagues, I had to adjust to a different living situation. My accommodations were relatively spacious – a three-room concrete house. But there was no electricity or running water.

贝宁的生活充满了挑战。我是古安德一所中学的英语老师，古安德是一个有两万人口的村庄。除了自己教三节课，和同事一起教两节课，我还得适应不同的生活环境。我住的地方比较宽敞——有三个房间的混凝土房子。但是没有电和自来水。

I quickly fell into a rhythm at home: fetching water from the neighborhood pump, doing laundry by hand, sweeping Saharan dust off every surface, attempting to cook nutritious meals on a gas stove with the few ingredients available in a food desert (mainly tomatoes, onions, corn, beans and rice).

我很快就适应了家里的生活节奏:从附近的水泵取水，用手洗衣服，清扫地面上的撒哈拉沙尘，尝试在煤气炉上用食物沙漠里仅有的几种原料(主要是西红柿、洋葱、玉米、豆类和大米)做出营养丰富的饭菜。

As I grew more comfortable with life in Benin, I wanted to share American culture with the community. Those moments of cultural exchange helped me discover that we all had a great deal in common.

当我越来越适应贝宁的生活时，我想与社区分享美国文化。这些文化交流的时刻帮助我发现我们都有很多共同之处。

Last year, I decided to invite colleagues, supervisors and friends to my house for a feast of a Beninese favorite: spaghetti omelets, the Italian classic of pasta and tomato sauce served with an oily, spicy omelet on top. It's considered a scrumptious and filling treat, both among Beninese and Peace Corps volunteers.

去年，我决定邀请同事、主管和朋友来我家吃一顿贝宁人最喜欢吃的美食:意大利通心粉煎蛋卷，这是意大利经典的通心粉加番茄酱，再在上面撒上一层油腻、辛辣的煎蛋卷。无论是在贝宁还是和平队志愿者看来，这都是一种美味可口的美食。

Though my American family wasn't able to visit during my time in Benin, I felt as if I had new circle to celebrate with — my host family, whom I lived with for two weeks and stayed in touch with, as well as colleagues and friends I'd made.

虽然我在贝宁期间，我的美国家人没能来看望我，但我觉得我有了一个新的圈子可以庆祝——我的寄宿家庭，我和他们一起住了两周，并和他们保持联系，还有我结交的同事和朋友。

Since Thanksgiving is just another Thursday in November in Benin, I didn't have lots of time to prepare the meal. I started during my three-hour lunch break between the English classes I taught.

在贝宁，11月的感恩节不过是另一个星期四，所以我没有很多时间准备晚餐。我是在我教的英语课之间的三个小时的午休时间开始的。

I recruited some of my host family's brothers and sister to chop onions, tomatoes and peppers for a savory sauce. I was grateful for the assistance, which made the job so much easier. And my host siblings loved being included in the creation of a holiday meal.

我找来寄宿家庭的兄弟姐妹帮我切洋葱、西红柿和辣椒，做成美味的酱汁。我很感激你的帮助，这使我的工作容易多了。我的接待兄弟姐妹们喜欢被邀请参与制作节日大餐。

Two hours flew by, and the tomato sauce was simmering up familiar flavors of both a Beninese "sauce tomate" and my great-grandfather's Italian pasta sauce. After teaching an afternoon class, I rushed back home to set up seating in my living room, make some sweet potato gnocchi (an added treat) and cook the pasta and omelets.

两个小时过去了，番茄酱慢慢地冒了出来，既有贝宁“番茄酱”的味道，也有我曾祖父的意大利通心粉酱的味道。教完一节下午的课，我匆匆赶回家，在客厅里安排好座位，做了一些甘薯汤圆(一种额外的食物)，做了意大利面和煎蛋卷。

I took a few moments to say why I had invited them all for a feast for a holiday that was new to them. I explained that every November, Americans gather with their families to enjoy a meal and share gratitude for each other and blessings in their lives. I said that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because you can celebrate with friends as well as family.

我花了一点时间来解释我为什么要邀请他们来参加一个对他们来说是全新的节日盛宴。我解释说，每年11月，美国人都会和家人聚在一起吃顿饭，分享对彼此的感激之情和对生活的祝福。我说感恩节是我最喜欢的节日，因为你可以和家人朋友一起庆祝。