It’s cliche to say, but the holidays really are my favorite time of year.
Many of you are probably still eating leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner. I would ask you to save me some, but I’m not sure they’ll make it to next month (let alone next week). Now that Thanksgiving is over, Christmas lights and decorations will finally be making an appearance in parks and shops back in the states! Spoiler alert. They’ve been up since the beginning of November here in the U.K. I know, crazy talk!
Thanksgiving is probably the biggest celebration in my family . . . even bigger than Christmas! It’s usually held at one of my uncle’s or aunt’s houses and family members, from cities all over California, gather for a big Filipino feast. Honestly, when is a Filipino party not a feast? There are always lots of hugs and kisses, babies running around, food laid out across the kitchen counter and dining room table (really anywhere else we can fit more food), and people singing karaoke and dancing in the next room.
It’s the best way to kick off the holiday season!
I knew I’d get homesick seeing everyone’s posts. Luckily, my bestie/bf flew across the pond to spend his birthday and Thanksgiving in the U.K. We travelled around London for a few days, saw The Lion King at Lyceum Theater and even visited Hogwarts at Warner Bros Studios! After, we hopped on a short flight to explore the lush scenery of Ireland. It was absolutely breathtaking!
I guess I can’t really complain about missing Thanksgiving too much when I’ve been traveling to a new place almost every week (shouts to mom and dad!). To make things even better, my friends decided to have a Thanksgiving brunch so they could experience Turkey Day too. I had to make “American” pancakes, of course! Yes, they were pumpkin. And yes, they were delicious!
It was so nice having a little Friendsgiving abroad. It definitely made me feel a little less homesick!
Wishing you all a happy holiday season! May your present shopping be quick, finals end well and hearts stay full. Only a few more weeks of being abroad and I still have papers to complete, exams to study for and some countries to explore.
Countdown to Christmas begins!
Erin de Leon is a double major in dance and kinesiology. She is studying Fall semester at Leeds Beckett University in the United Kingdom
The global experience, as told by SDSU students 
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