I cannot cook. This is unfortunate when I am attempting to teach my "barekams" what a true American Thanksgiving meal is. So far I have bought a turkey which the Embassy had delivered from North Carolina (much cheaper than last year's $50 Butterball). I have also purchased a 10 pound can of cranberry sauce (they don't have the smaller cans, I swear).

Fortunately for me I have already created the menu... a turkey, a pumpkin pie (this is quite daring on my part), gravy (a must), mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing (maybe I'll just use the pre-packaged stuff I bought)... and that's it for now. Unfortunately all of the recipes for many of the above include spices that I have been unable to find for two years now. Yesterday, however, I was told by Peace Corps volunteers that these spices could ALL be found in "Europe". Maybe the dinner won't be so bad after all...

Now, in other news I visited the new Tashir shopping mall this past weekend. It seriously can be compared to an American mall - with one small difference - most of the materials inside are all the same as those in a "shuka". But on the upside it is beautiful and does have some nice stores. There's even a store that sells Mikasa. All in all it's an achievement for Armenia. Apparently another central shopping mall is in the process of remodeling and will hopefully be opened sooner than later. Now if they can include more shops like Swatch, Naf Naf, and Betty Barclay.

Work is busy.