An Aussie Thanksgiving

Today was a little difficult for me. I really cherish my family and being apart from them is hard, especially during the holidays. I FaceTimed them this morning as they were having Thanksgiving Dinner and it was bittersweet to see all of them together. However, I did have a great time with my new Aussie friends. I baked pumpkin pies for the staff at school and for a small Thanksgiving dinner I hosted for my host mom, neighbors, and supervising teacher. In Australia, they have savory pumpkin pies, but they've never had SWEET pumpkin pies. I was a little intimidated at first as they didn't have any pumpkin puree in cans and they didn't have frozen crust already made in pie tins. So I had to bake and make my own pumpkin puree and it turned out to be the best pumpkin pie I've ever had! The staff at school went nuts for it! I felt really proud to have introduced something new to them! The staff and students were also very kind, wishing me a happy Thanksgiving as well.

Later, I went home and baked corn casserole, sweet potatoes, green beans, and chicken for dinner! (Not attempting turkey just yet!) Chris and Sarah and Leanne came over for dinner. Chris had taken it upon himself to do some research on Thanksgiving which I thought was really thoughtful. I really enjoyed getting to share the personal and national significance of Thanksgiving and also shock them with the horrors of Black Friday which occurs the next morning. It really was a beautiful time and a great opportunity for me to extend my gratitude to the people who have really helped support my journey in Australia!