Thanksgiving!

You know what I'm thankful for? Of course, being able to study abroad in London, but also the fact that I am surrounded by amazing people over here who also celebrate Thanksgiving. I can honestly say, this has been the best Thanksgiving in awhile. Ever since I started attending the University of Hawaii in 2022, I haven't been able to go back home for Thanksgiving, both in order to save money on flights but also because UH only gives, like, two days off for it. While I understand that the holiday isn't all that popular in Hawaii, I miss getting a week off of school in the middle of the fall semester. So, on Thanksgiving, I usually cook a big dinner and invite over a handful of friends and roommates, usually just enough to fill a small table. But this year, me and a bunch of the people from my cohort chipped in and made a big Thanksgiving dinner! It honestly felt more like the ones I would have at home, with plenty of food, lots of friends and having a generally good time.

I can honestly say this has been one of my favorite weeks since I got here. Plus, now it's officially Christmas time in the UK and back home! We can finally put up decorations without the scorn or mockery of those who believe Christmas time starts in December! We can finally bake cookies and start ramping up shopping for Christmas gifts! Speaking of, today I decided to go on a little personal field trip to see the HMS Belfast, an old World War Two destroyer turned floating museum in the Thames.

This ship was honestly amazing and fun way to spend two hours, not to mention a friend of mine got me a free ticket on account of her working there. What I didn't expect, though, was the Christmas market right next to it!

All along the boardwalk were little shops selling some of the best food I have ever seen and wonderful little Christmas gifts. I swear, between the gift shop and this market, I was able to get proper Christmas gifts for, like, three people, though I could probably get more. I really just wanted to save a reason to come back with more friends!