It’s funny how easy it is to forget that Thanksgiving is only a national holiday in the US. November 22 came around and I started getting hyped up until I realized that they don’t celebrate that here, or anywhere else in the world.
However, lucky for us, the college across the street accommodates Pepperdine for a Thanksgiving reception dinner that invites students, families and guests. Our London program director provides the chefs with her American recipes to assure that it’s as close to a traditional meal as possible.
But—there is a big but—last year they apparently forgot the pumpkin in the pumpkin pie, and that had me extremely skeptical. All of us went in with low expectations, though it turned out much better than expected.
Although there was no corn or cornbread (and there was some random tomato sauce), the food wasn’t half as bad as I thought it would be.
Plus, as that cliché saying goes, it was the company that made the night.
Yes, I was a little homesick, especially since some people’s parents had flown in, but we had visitors from the Canterbury Christ Church College (the same group that we met at the Listening Summit), and they easily brought up my spirits.
Aside from the official Thanksgiving dinner, we also went to a special non-denominational church service in the morning at the famous St. Paul’s Cathedral. The American Church in London organizes it for “the American Community in London,” and hosts thousands of people every year.
A choir sung, an array of Reverends spoke and the American ambassador was in attendance. The service was a nice way for the British to show some love to us Americans—a kind gesture to recognize the significantly younger history of the US.
Even though I wasn’t at home with my close friends and family, spending Thanksgiving abroad was definitely a memorable experience. Now we only have two and a half weeks remaining to power through finals and into winter break.
With the semester nearly over, I’d like to say thank you to anyone who reads these. I appreciate you all, and wherever you are, I send a huge thanks for following me in my adventures abroad. This fall term has flown by, and with another semester left to go, there’s no telling what else is in store in London.
