Thanksful for Thanksgiving

In America, the fourth Thursday in November is always Thanksgiving. It's a national holiday so you always have work off that day, as well as the following Friday (Black Friday! dundundun). In Britain, thanks to American television, most people know what it is and what it entails. When I studied abroad in Ireland in 2006, I didn't have a Thanksgiving dinner and went to Italy with my friend instead so we wouldn't be homesick. This year, I'm lucky to have family on the same landmass. My cousin, Julie, and her husband, Andreas, just moved from Aachen, Germany to Whitley Bay, England which is just outside of Newcastle Upon Tyne.

I went down last Wednesday after a workshop I had and was only on the train for twenty minutes or so before I realised it was snowing in whatever little town we were passing through. It snowed the entire time I was there in Newcastle. It was so pretty! On Thursday we went down to the bay (freezing!) and cooked lots of delicious food.

The main theme with Thanksgiving (besides being thankful) is FOOD!

We had:
-turkey
-stuffing
-mashed potatoes and gravy
-brussel sprouts with bacon and chestnuts
-sweet potatoes with marshmallow and brown sugar topping (half and half)
-home made cranberry sauce
-pumpkin pie with home made whipped cream

It was so great to be with family on such a family-oriented day. My parents had everyone over for Thanksgiving and we all had a skype chat with each other. It was great to see all their faces! I left for Edinburgh Friday evening after a lazy day of reading and snarfing leftovers. I decided to bring the snow back to Edinburgh with me and it's been snowing ever since! This is what it was like when I got back to my flat on Friday:

And this is what it's like now, a week and 12 inches later:

The people here don't really shovel or do anything. This is the one lucky stretch on my street where a nice man shovelled the place outside his flat and his neighbours. No one else is that nice. The streets are either super icy or super slushy. I love snow but not when people don't clean it up so I can walk! It's supposed to stay like this for quite a while. I'm okay with it as long as it doesn't interrupt my travel plans home in two weeks! Next Thursday I'm making a belated Thanksgiving dinner for my friends so they can taste the deliciousness. I'll be making a turkey for the first time in my life. Wish me luck!!

The purpose of Thanksgiving is to be thankful. This year, I am thankful for the opportunity to be studying in Edinburgh, Scotland. I am thankful for my parents, who have been so loving and supportive (both emotionally and financially!) and without them, I wouldn't have been able to come (aka thanks for the loan mom and pops!). What are you thankful for?