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So it's Thanksgiving and I'm in London. I told myself that I wasn't going to care or be homesick because I was going to be so busy, but then it got to me. It was just so weird... I didn't even realize it was Thanksgiving until I checked my email and Facebook and all my American friends had sent and posted messages of Happy Thanksgiving or Happy Turkey Day. It was sad to think that I forgot such a big holiday, but it's not like anyone here was going to say it to me. I usually would be in warm and sunny Phoenix today with my dad, his wife, her family and James eating turkey and green beans, desserts, etc. I think I ignored the fact that the holidays would have an effect on me at all, because, as usual, I was trying to keep it all in and not admit to myself that I might miss home and family and such. It was interesting though because I read in the London Paper that there are actually places you can go in London to get a Thanksgiving meal. Apparently there are a large number of Americans or those who grew up in the States that live in London. Of course it's at Hard Rock cafe or the Texas Embassy, which don't exactly scream "traditional Thanksgiving dinner" to me, but they are better than nothing....
Side note: So the Texas Embassy in London was actually previously the Embassy of Texas. Apparently, the United Kingdom recognized Texas before the United States did, so Texas for a time had an embassy in London. It's now been converted, to what I hear, is a very expensive restaurant. Yet, they'll serve you Thanksgiving dinner... oxymoron I think. That's something I love about London though... random historic knowledge that you can gain by just walking down the street.
End Side Note: Thanksgiving... giving of thanks. I'm thankful for this trip in a lot of ways. It taught me how much I value and love my life... back in Boston. I miss a lot of the people there and the way I am there. I don't always feel like myself here and that's hard in a lot of ways. But I'm also thankful for this trip because it has taught me that I can do something for myself and I have my inner strength still. Plus it helped me appreciate the life and friends that I have back in Boston. I've learned that I can navigate the Tube by myself and have a lot of fun people watching along the way. I can walk through miles and miles of rain and still jump in puddles along the way. I can navigate the whole of Hyde Park (which is huge by the way!) and run into new statues or monuments that I never noticed before even though I've been in the park so many times. I can survive a flight on Ryan Air! :P
I made all the calls to wish everyone a happy turkey day. It was hard hearing the family noises in the background. Like James' niece crying... I haven't even met her yet! But I've made my own family in a way in London. Since we all had to work today we couldn't make a thanksgiving meal, but we plan to do it up with all the trimmings tomorrow night. I'm making the green beans and a fruit salad. It's good to know there are people here who want to keep traditions going, even if we're making our own version of it. I'll have to write about how that goes later...
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