Last weekend my friend asked me if I could find a turkey for her.Any other  time  of year this  American's question would be rather odd. However, Thursday of this week is Thanksgiving Day in my county.It is a tradition for every family to have a roasted turkey.In my family,it is the most significant holiday of the year.

上周末我的一位朋友问我可不可以为她找一只火鸡，一年之内的任何别的时间问这个问题都是比较奇怪的，不过本周四在我的老家是感恩节。每个家庭都有一只烤火鸡，这是一个传统。在我的家里，这是一年之内最有意义的节日。

Typically,my father's side of the family comes to our home for Thanksgiving; my mother's side gathers for Christmas.People arrive before noon, usually with a dish in hand.My mother, however,will start cooking one or two days before.The turkey itself takes at least four hours to cook.The women like to congregate in the kitchen and catch up on the latest news while the men stay in the living room  eating snacks and watching football.The meal starts around 3:30 and the head of 'the household always has the honor of carving the turkey. Before we eat,however ,there is a short prayer.Sometimes we also share individually what we are thankful for in life.

一般来说，我父亲的亲戚都来到我家过感恩节，圣诞节时则是我母亲家的亲戚在我家相聚。他们往往带着一盘菜在中午之前来到我们家，不过我的母亲一两天前已经开始准备饭莱。做火鸡需要至少4个小时。女人们喜欢在厨房里扎堆和捕捉最新的消息，而这时男人们都在客厅里一边看电视里的美国橄榄球赛一边吃点心。3：30左右就餐，而户主永远得到切火鸡的荣幸。不过吃饭之前有一个短祷，有时候每个人也分别表达一下他们对生活中一些方面的感恩。

This modern version of Thanksgiving is a tradition that started  almost four hundred years ago.The settlers who came  from  England  not only did  not know about football,television or kitchen appliances,they  also  arrived  without even knowing how to plant corn.The Indians helped them through their first year and they celebrated the harvest together in November.It was not until 1863 During the Civil War when President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday and it became a universal custom.

这样的感恩节差不多是400年前开始的一个传统，当时那些来自英国的定居者不但不知道橄榄球、电视以及厨房器具等等，而且他们甚至连怎样种玉米也不知道。印第安人帮助他们度过了第一年，在11月份他们在一起庆祝第一次的收成。直到美国内战期间的1863年，亚伯拉罕·林肯总统宣布感恩节是国家的节日而变成一个普遍的习惯。

Spending holidays away from family is one of the most difficult aspects of being a foreigner.Thanksgiving is when I miss my family the most.Perhaps what I feel is similar to what the settiers went through as foreigners in a new land.At first you do not know anything and you must rely on others constantly.Lincoln's lession though the festival  was that in good times or bad times,thankfulness can help one preserve a feeling of centeredness,a sense of meaning in life.

远离家过节日对一个外国人来说是最难的一件事，感恩节是我最想念家的时候。也许我在新疆感觉到的困难与定居者作为外国人在新大陆经历的困难相似。最初我什么都不知道，所以我必须不断依靠别人。不过林肯的教训是无论在J叹利还是痛苦的时候，感恩能帮助一个人保持一种中心感和生命的意义感。

I can say then that I am extremely thankful that my friends accept me unconditionally any-where one travels,which is priceless .I am thankful for having a full stomach and warm bed.I am also thankful for this privilege to live and learn in Xinjiang,this opportunity to learn from an ancient civilization in a time of immense change.I am moved by these things,and from these things I find meaning.

这里我可以表达我对我这儿朋友的无限感激，他们五条件地接受我，在世界上无论旅行到哪里这都是无价之宝。为吃饱的肚子和有暖和的床榻我感恩，也因能有在这里居住和学习的荣幸而感恩。这是一个向正在巨变中的古老文明学习的机会。这些事情使我感动，而从这一切中我发现了生活的真正意义