It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Now I promise you I still have access to a calendar and am well aware that it is not even the middle of October yet but I've certainly been feeling rather festive recently. What is the reason for all this festive feeling I hear you asking? Well it's pretty simple. Canadians have this thing where they don't want to seem American, however they also like food. So they wanted Thanksgiving but didn't want to seem American, so as opposed to it being the third Thursday in November it's the second Monday in October. (They say it's that date because that's when the harvest is done up here, but really it's the American hating thing.) For those who have been living under a rock and don't know what Thanksgiving is, it's basically an excuse to visit your family and eat large quantities of food. I could tell this was a celebration I was going to get along well with!

Steph's lovely relatives had invited us over for Thanksgiving so I got to experience the full on Canadian version and I have to say it's amazing. Turkey and all the trimmings, plus bread rolls (apparently a tradition). I have to say as a student free food is always good, but free, home cooked food is even more amazing! Then came the moment of truth. Everyone talks about pumpkin pie, coffee shops start doing pumpkin spiced lattes, Dairy Queen does a pumpkin pie blizzard, Canadians are shocked and appalled that not only do we not celebrate Thanksgiving, but in fact we put pumpkin in soups rather than in pies... so it was with a little bit of in-trepidation that I bit into my first even pumpkin pie - would I like it? Would I have to leave Canada if I didn't like it? Why does everyone say it tastes sweet? However all my fears were put to rest. Pumpkin pie is amazing, so tasty! Slightly odd texture but just tastes sweet and cinnamon-y (I love the fact that cinnamon is so prevalent over here, so good!) Aside from the food it was also so lovely just sitting and chatting and feeling like part of the family. We were given multiple vouchers for money off things which they thought as students we might need, we were recommended places to go etc. and just once again Canadian hospitality shone through. Plus who can forget the hilarious moment when Finnegan the dog was discovered to have eaten through the cardboard box and eaten part of the apple pie!

But it's not just Thanksgiving which is making me feel all festive. We've had snow...twice! The first time didn't settle but the second time did! In fact it was kind of equivalent to the amount of snowfall we normally get in the south of England! I might have got ever so slightly over-excited about it! But it really is exciting to wake up and see snow! (Although my Canadian friends inform me that the amount we had does NOT count as snow...)

Aside from all the fun times the workload has really rocketed; lots of assignments and also done three midterms so far which is just crazy! All seem to have gone well but hard to tell before getting results! Still loving my time over here and trying to really make the most of it! Went to church for first time last Sunday and it was amazing, great service and really felt like St Silas (my church in Glasgow) so that was lush. Bible study group still going well, in fact we're all going for dinner on Monday which'll be great and tomorrow I'm off horseback riding in the foothills! EXCITING!

view of snow from my window