A Year Without Thanksgiving: Reflections on Study Abroad

By Karolyn Castaldo on November 24, 2012

This year was the first in twenty that I have not celebrated Thanksgiving in the traditional sense. There was no turkey, no football, and certainly no Macy’s Parade. There was plenty of England’s famous rain, classes to attend, a paper to be written, a pile of mediocre nuggets to be eaten and an unbearable earache. Needless to say, I was not quite in the spirit.

My flatmates, who had obviously never celebrated Thanksgiving before (the Pilgrims did leave their country, after all), were very

Photo by Karolyn Castaldo from Instagram

excited to have a Thanksgiving meal with me and one other girl from the States. Due to scheduling issues, we decided to hold this dinner on Thanksgiving eve. So, complete with a chicken, some Yorkshire puddings, a very sugary sweet potato casserole, and some custard on our pie (apple, not pumpkin), I had the strangest Faux-Giving of my life.

But it did get me thinking.

Going abroad is something to be thankful for in itself. Sometimes, you might think that you’re missing out on big moments at home, but this is literally the only time in your life when you are free enough from commitments to travel and learn about different cultures. You’re opened up to a world of opportunity that, for some, you may never see again.

This year may not have had the traditional holiday feel, though I Skyped with about a million family members while they all got together at my house and received very sweet videos reminding me of what I will return to this December. However, I couldn’t help but remember that this is a holiday about being thankful, whether you’re in the US, England, Australia or China.

Because of that, I want to thank my parents for making this trip a possibility for me and for always providing me with love and support in all of my endeavors. Thank you to my family and friends for being engaged listeners when I ramble on about my travels and for giving me a reason to come home at the end of it. Thank you to my flatmates, who made me feel right at home with our Thanksgiving dinner, even if you did make me cook parsnips. And finally, a big thank you to University of Denver for enabling so many students to have this experience. Couldn’t have done it without you all!

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