my brother-in-law carving the turkey

By Maria Palermino

What do you get when you mix 2 Italian-American sisters who are both teachers at CELOP, 46 lawyers, 4 Fulbrighters, and children?  You get Thanksgiving 2014 with my sister, Donna Palermino.

Thanksgiving Food Italian Style

Food at Thanksgiving is a lot or “abundante”, as we say in Italian. First, we first had munchies: nuts, chips, and cheese and crackers, Then, there was turkey and lasagna, homemade meatballs and sausages, and all kinds of veggies, cranberry sauce (dark red jelly-like sauce eaten with the turkey), a chicken macaroni dish (from a student’s wife), and Korean food.  The desserts multiplied; almost everyone brought something sweet.  Pies were plenty, including Terry’s famous homemade apple pie that disappeared fast!!

The Guests—Our Students and Fulbrighters

Our guest list was very interesting: international lawyers, a couple of judges, recent law school graduates, 3 Fulbright students and 1 scholar, and several children.  Donna teaches law to lawyers and judge(s) from across the globe in the summer at CELOP.  (Another instructor teaches English, as well). This international group while very serious really knows how to party!   I am fortunate to teach legal English to other international lawyers and some law graduates in the summer.  They, too, came and had a great time.  Still, another legal group came!  I teach legal English presently to international students at the BU law school.  They also came with friends and children and partied. Every year I invite a Fulbright group, since I am on the board of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Fulbright Association.  Fulbright alumni (people who had a Fulbright scholarship) and board members invite students to spend Thanksgiving dinner with their family.

The Party’s Over

This celebration was fun, exciting, and exhausting.  For Donna and me this is a those special event we look forward to each year.  Why?  Coming from a very big Italian family that has shrunk (gotten smaller) over the years, we miss not sharing this time with family and friends.  So, this our way of showing thanks.  We are both thankful for our closeness in our nuclear family and our opportunities at CELOP, which have offered us many occasions to work with and socialize with gifted people from all around the world.  Here’s to you!!