Turkey Week

Let me start by saying that this week is the beginning of some of the best and worst times of any year. We begin with Thanksgiving, one of the best holidays ever invented. From there we quickly move on to December, a month consistently packed with academic stress of a thousand papers and projects all due before winter break. However, December is also Christmastime. Christmastime means vacation. And then New Year's: still vacation. Then it's time to go back to reality, or school, as the case may be.

So here we are with Thanksgiving. A holiday earmarked for food and food alone. Okay, and maybe some football. What's not to love? Because this holiday is amazing and I am very fond of it, I decided to have my very own here in Wales. Diego is also a big fan, so the two of us are whipping up a Thanksgiving feast for all of our friends. This should be interesting given the, shall we say, limited capability of the dorm kitchens. Expect a full report next week.

Since this holiday does not exist here in the UK, we have the additional issue of Christmas encroachment. Aside from the feast of delicious-osity, Thanksgiving also marks the time when it becomes acceptable to start listening to Christmas music and do Christmasy things. This does not occur where Thanksgiving doesn't exist, and therefore carols have been playing in stores for weeks now. Because of this and the contagious nature of all things Christmas-y, I went out to Conwy to do a little shopping. It was a nice little afternoon with lots of shops full of ornaments, decorations and other festive paraphernalia. A little premature for my taste, but hey, who am I to talk if I was out Christmas shopping?

On the bus ride out to Conwy, something was particularly striking: there seems to be a sudden burst of vibrant burnt orange and red hues everywhere. The hills and mountains are just blanketed in an orange similar to that of fallen pine needles, but brighter. And there are berry-bearing bushes all over with their fruit ranging in color from a light, delicate orange to a fiery red. It's absolutely breathtaking. I snapped a couple of pictures while I took a walk around the outer walls of the castle, but they do no justice to the whole scene.

So things are looking quite fall-y around here, perfect just in time for Thanksgiving. The epitome of fall. And you can't beat the colors: all the burnt oranges of New England, but greener. I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving taking advantage of the food and family. I'll report back on mine next week, provided I don't burn the place down :)