I had my first Thanksgiving away from family yesterday. It's definitely an American holiday, and people here have been focused on Christmas for the last couple of weeks. Luckily, a few Aussies were keen to help me celebrate it this year.
Of course I had to work so that spoiled some of the fun, but I got up early to watch the Detroit-Green Bay game. I accidentally-on-purpose missed Nickelback's halftime performance, whoops! The game was pretty boring overall but at least I got my football fix before work. Afterwards I went over to Hayden's house and helped fix some dinner for people who were a little confused by the combination of food that we eat for Thanksgiving. I never realized it, but it's pretty carb-heavy and probably something I would never just whip up without knowing it's what I'm "supposed" to eat that day. His family had decorated the dining room with an orange tablecloth and fall-themed napkins (his mom explained she looked all that up on the Internet, adorable). I made stuffing, which turned out pretty good but a little dry, and on top of that we had turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, gravy, rolls, etc. His family all had pumpkin pie for the first time, which I LOVE but they thought was a little gross. They were also grossed out when I explained I was going to eat it for breakfast, but were intrigued by the turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sandwich that I was planning to have for lunch.
I'm really thankful for Mom, Dad, Patrice and all my friends back home. I'm thankful I have a place to live and new friends here. And I'm REALLY thankful that Black Friday does not exist here and that I no longer have to get up at 3AM to make people their stupid lattes at the Northgate Mall Starbucks. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!