London, England: Spending Thanksgiving Abroad

Submitted by Kathryn Deaver on the 2016 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…

Spending Thanksgiving abroad was surprisingly uneventful. Since it is not a holiday in Britain, the “Christmas season” had already begun, with its music and decorations appearing everywhere (without any of the debate that they provoke before Thanksgiving in the U.S.). Unlike for my friends and family in America, that Thursday was a normal school day for me. I actually had a presentation that afternoon. After spending the morning showing my visiting friends around Camden Market for a little souvenir shopping, I went to class just like any other day.

In the evening, the CAPA program provided a turkey dinner for us at a local Holiday Inn – it was nothing like my normal Thanksgiving meals, but certainly closer to it than anything I would have conjured up myself. Although the food was mediocre, we each got Christmas crackers to pull. Invented in London in 1847, Christmas crackers consist of a wrapped tube that two people yank from both ends, wishbone-style, upon which they pop apart with the eponymous “crack” sound. Inside are a joke, a toy and a paper crown which you must wear for the rest of the night. My table was one of the few that actually donned their crowns and we also won the British trivia game later in the evening. Coincidence? I think not.

 

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It was not until after I had parted with my friends for the night and gone back to my flat that the homesickness crept in. It was not dramatic or overwhelming, but more of a subtle melancholy. I miss the daily interactions with my friends and family, and this was particularly apparent at the holiday where we reunite and give thanks for all the blessings in life. However, despite so many of my blessings’ being far away in America, I am also extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity I was given to study abroad and do not regret it at all. I’ve enjoyed my time in London immensely. I have loved going to old castles, historic sites, theatre shows  and all the other sites the city has to offer. I am looking forward to spending my last couple weeks scurrying around to say good-bye to favorite spots and seeing the final places on my list before flying home and celebrating Christmas with my wonderful family.