An English Thanksgiving

Hi again, everyone! This past month has been full of fun travels, good times, and, of course, lots of learning both in and out of the classroom. My overnight adventures included trips to London and Dublin, and I’ve also had many opportunities to explore the city of Manchester even further. One of the highlights of this month, though, was celebrating Thanksgiving with so many of the friends I’ve made over here. All of my English friends wanted to experience a traditional American Thanksgiving, so that meant that I wound up cooking a full Thanksgiving meal for everyone. It was a huge task but was really rewarding since everyone who came, both Americans and Brits, had a great time eating loads of food and just spending time together.

I also really enjoyed wandering through the Christmas Markets, which is comprised of stalls and exhibits that vendors set up in designated areas around the city. There are multiples squares full of different booths and food vendors and streets lined with even more fun things to discover. Oh, and every booth/stall/vending location is designed in the traditional European Christmas Market style, so it’s a very cultural experience. You can get things ranging from Manchester souvenirs to a number of different foods and drinks, and a whole lot of things in between.

Another fun discovery was the John Rylands Library. This library was built in the early 1900s and merged with the University of Manchester Library in the 1970s, but the original building is full of history and artifacts from all over the world. You’re not supposed to take pictures inside the exhibit areas, but it was almost surreal being so close to things dating back to the sixth century B.C. I also saw a display about how Manchester is credited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution—I had no idea that Manchester was so full of history, but it’s awesome to be here in a place so full of great things to discover.