Thanksgiving: Newcastle Style

Last week I was lucky enough to celebrate two Thanksgivings! On Wednesday, I went over to Jaime and Rob's to make two of my Grandma Leona's pecan pies. I had to use something called golden syrup instead of caro syrup, but it didn't matter cause the pies turned out delicious! On Thursday, I ran a few errands in the morning, and then Alissa, Anik and myself headed over to Jamie and Rob's for our feast. We got there around one, and proceeded to eat appetizers and drink wine. We had dinner around 3pm and it was amazing. We had turkey breasts in lieu of a whole turkey because it was cheaper and turkeys are a bit hard to get a hold of. We also had stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. Rob the master chef cooked for us all, and of course we stuffed ourselves silly. We continued to drink more wine, ate some pie and had some good conversation. A guy from my program came over in the evening and brought some ales, which we of course had to sample as well. It was an awesome night.

On Friday, an American professor invited us over for another Thanksgiving dinner. I brought the extra pie since we had only eaten one the night before. Everyone was very kind, and it was very nice to be invited into someone's home for a delicious meal.

I had a bit of a lazy day on Saturday. I slept late, and then ran some errands with Alissa in the afternoon. I then made nachos for dinner for the two of us, and we decided to go out on the town. We hit up a couple places on the quayside which was fun, and then headed over to Jesmond. I ran into a classmate and one of my professors, so we had a good time talking and hanging out.

On Sunday, a professor who looks over the international students in the historical studies department invited us over for a traditional Sunday lunch. Their home is in Wallsend, which is where the Segedunum Fort is located. It is the old Roman fort located along Hadrian's Wall, which I have yet to explore. Anyway, Mark and his wife roasted a chicken with vegetables which were delicious. For dessert, Liz made a treacle pudding, which was very good, but also very heavy. We then had tea and a nice chat. I headed home afterwards because I was exhausted from a long few days.

Now I have to buckle down and get some work done before my trip home. It is crazy to think I will be home two weeks from Friday! I am getting stressed out because there is a lot to do in anticipation of my trip, since I know I won't get much work done while home. But it will be worth it to see all of you!

I will be home on the 14th for those of you who want to see me. Can't wait...