When I was in India, I had only heard about Thanksgiving in Hollywood movies and TV shows. I never really knew what it was actually about. I had some assumptions—I thought it was just a festival or a holiday. But it turns out Thanksgiving is more than that.
I never thought that I would get to celebrate Thanksgiving the Canadian way, but it happened this year.
It was on Monday afternoon, on the day of Thanksgiving, that my boyfriend invited me to the Thanksgiving dinner at his sister’s house with the rest of her family. I was excited, because I didn’t know how it was really celebrated. When I asked my boyfriend about the significance of thanksgiving in Canada, he replied that it’s just a holiday about lots of food.
He was definitely right about one part: there was a lot of food.
I was welcomed warmly at their place, where the entire family was around, grown-ups were talking to each other and playing games, kids were playing video games, their pets were being nice to me, and everyone was drinking punch (the fruit punch for kids and the wine punch for grown-ups).
I was told about the turkey stuffing and the gravy that’s made with turkey juices. The turkey looked really delicious. They offered me biscuits with brie as snacks, which tasted so good. To anyone, it might look like a normal family get together, but I could feel the festive rush there.
Everyone chatted for a little bit, I was asked some questions about back home and it was basically a pretty nice cultural exchange.
Then, the turkey was finally ready. I actually didn’t even know what turkey looked like—I saw this chicken-like meat on the kitchen counter, and it looked good. Then we all sat down together to eat.
There were some Thanksgiving cards placed on the dinner table. I was asked what I was thankful for this year, and I just said that I was grateful I could have this beautiful experience in Canada as an international student.
I had mashed potatoes, cabbage roll rice, turkey, and a bun, and it all tasted pretty good to me. There was also pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake for dessert; it was super delicious. And it was just beautiful to experience everyone being together, laughing and sharing their funny and interesting memories.
The house was filled with warmth and happiness. So Thanksgiving is all about simplicity, when the entire family gathers and has a great dinner and a great time together.
I will never forget that day—it was by far one of the best days I had since I moved here. It felt like home away from home.