College in the United States has introduced me to a beautiful new culture and its amazing traditions—one of them being Thanksgiving.
Come early November, the college campus is buzzing with the talk of going home to family and spending a lovely time with them over Thanksgiving dinner. The thought of home motivates students to trudge along the long wintry days that fall over Rochester around this time.
For the past three years, my Thanksgiving breaks have been filled with loads of delicious food, tons of sleep, and massive amounts of shopping and being bitten by the travel bug.
Virginia & Maryland
My freshman and sophomore year, I joined my aunts for Thanksgiving in Virginia and Maryland. It was largely a family affair with delicious foods lining the table, kids running around the house and reminiscing over old times! After we went around and said thanks, it was then that I witnessed my first turkey carving (actually, I had never seen a whole roast turkey before!).
Suddenly, all those months I had spent in school listening to students talk about turkey and gravy and cranberries seemed to make sense. It was the best turkey and gravy with mashed potatoes I had ever tasted. And of course, this was a Thanksgiving with an Indian flavor, and my aunts' delectable dishes flanked the traditional Turkey dishes.
Chicago
This year, I was graciously invited by a friend and her family to spend Thanksgiving in Illinois. I had never been to the midwest and I was curious to see how different it would be from the east coast. Travelling is my passion and I was really excited to visit Chicago. I was pleasantly surprised when we got there. The city lights shone brightly; Chicago was a wonderful, lively city abuzz with people. Michigan Avenue, the SoHo of NYC was lit up for Christmas (already!!) and my favourite stores lined the street one after another. Add to it the Thanksgiving sales, and I was in heaven! Born and brought up in cities, I crave the lively atmosphere and here I was in Chicago soaking it all up!
Tall buildings all built in spectacular fashion surrounded the river that flew into Lake Michigan, and during the daytime, it was a sight to see. It was sixty degrees that day and people kept telling me I was lucky to be visiting Chicago in such perfect weather because it is cold just about every other day! Chicago had a perfect blend of modern city and old world charm—just about right to make you feel elated to be walking around it.
Champaign, IL
My next stop was Champaign, an hour and a half away. It was a great feeling to be spending Thanksgiving with my friend and her family, soaking in the beautiful familial atmosphere and making new friends. But the best of all was having no work to do for nearly a week, and we spent a good chunk of it watching movies, eating, and shopping. I love all things unique, and lucky for me, Thanksgiving dinner had an Indian twist to it and I was thankful to be a part of a cultural Thanksgiving. It was nice to see everyone come together that evening, feasting on delicious dishes prepared by my friend's mother, and bonding over the latest news.
Thanksgiving break is a welcome break from hectic college life. It gives me an opportunity to see different places and explore. Spending break with relatives and friends makes me feel like I'm at a home away from home, and that thought provides a great sense of comfort to me. And even better, it rejuvenates me just in time for finals week because I come back bubbling with excitement, stuffed to the brim, loaded with shopping bags all ready to get back to work after a much needed break!
So I'm going to end my post with saying what I'm thankful for—I'm thankful to have been given the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with lovely friends and family during my college years.