One of the perks of living in another country is that you get the opportunity to immerse yourself into the culture of the people of that country. This weekend was another such opportunity for me as we celebrated Thanksgiving in the United States.
I have certainly heard of the holiday, but I would have never guessed that it was this festive and celebrated to the extent that I witnessed it. In fact, four weeks prior to Thanksgiving I was pretty indifferent about the entire occasion because it meant nothing to me having not grown up with that holiday marked off on my calendar. However, as time grew closer the festive bug bit me and I couldn't wait to jump right in.
In New York there's an entire elaborate parade that happens together with enormous blow-up floats, marching bands, live performances, and other cool parade things. It's called the Macy's Day Parade and it's an annual Thanksgiving event that get's televised throughout the country, apparently. People tell me that as kids they grow up with the smell of pumpkin pie being made in the kitchen and the Thanksgiving Day parade on the television - they go together like Christmas and the North Pole (or whatever you associate Christmas with). But if you live in New York City, like me, you can watch the parade live! That's if you don't mind waking up at an ungodly hour so that you can get a good spot to view the whole thing. Well, I apparently do.
I spent the afternoon at a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in New Jersey, though, which was one of the best things I have done since being the city. I was invited by a friend of mine and boy was I grateful for that invite. It was just so cool to get out of the hustle and bustle of New York City for a bit and be in the relaxed environment of Mendham, NJ. It's a beautiful neighborhood with large pieces of land, stunning houses, and tranquil surroundings. The dinner party must have had at least 50 guests in attendance, but there surely wasn't a shortage of food. That is one thing I learned about this holiday: eating is almost a sport. And then you still have to make room for dessert, but I wasn't complaining.
Directly after Thanksgiving comes the biggest shopping day in America, coined Black Friday. On this day shops open as early 00:00 and have massive discounts on their products. Almost everything in the entire country is on sale on this day. You save and wait 364 days for this day. People literally camp outside of stores and stampede on this day. I don't blame them with discounts of sometimes 75% on Plasma TV's, for example. It's pretty much just an amazing day for anyone who loves to shop.
Although there is a real historical purpose behind this holiday which I don't really care too much to examine, I think it's so awesome to have a holiday where one can reflect and be thankful for their life and things in their life. At this point in my life I am thankful for God's promises over me, purpose, the love of my family and friends, the excitement of life's experiences, and my many talents. Come to think of it, after being so intensely busy since I started my program, I am really thankful for this long weekend - it's good to recharge.
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