Plaid and Pumpkin Pie

My first Canadian Thanksgiving. Tick. (One may tick that box twice to be precise actually).  Kind of felt like Christmas. Except without roast potatoes (the alternative offer of mashed instead), bread sauce (the pièce de résistance), presents, a tree and my own family. 

What I find just brilliant about the whole thing is that no one is really sure why they celebrate it out here.  The Americans go on about the pilgrims and all that.  Here, its ‘umm the harvest maybe?’, ‘Another holiday?’ or just the honest thing of ‘any excuse to eat turkey and lots of food?’ (The last reason being my personal favourite).  And indeed a lot of food was eaten.  Pumpkin pie was tried for the first time – I am a fan.

So one of the trips had me seeing saw more of the Canadian countryside than ever before.  And it was great.  To me, the wide and rippling lake, the rust and ochre coloured leaves, and the setting sun were pretty much divine.  Couple that with being surrounded by Canadians all night, a constant country music playlist and ‘plaid’ (that’s checked to you and me) shirts was rather hilarious and an experience to say the least.  I’ve never really been able to notice what makes a Canadian accent different to that of the Americans... this weekend that all changed.  I heard it.  It definitely exists. (One step closer to discovering the real Canada...)

In other news, I am now a member of Carleton’s Glee Club.  I went there.  Is it like the show? I hear you cry out.  Umm well, we sing and apparently have routines to perform with them, so interpret that as you will... My other thanksgiving was a friend from Glee but this time with an Italian twist.  Being in a proper home and surrounded by a big family again was a bit of an ‘ohhh where are mine..?’ moment.  Nevertheless, it made a delightful change from the student bubble and my one concrete-walled corridor and single room.

I feel like Canada is being discovered inch by inch.  The Ottawa Valleys, done.  This coming weekend Niagara Falls shall next be conquered.  The week after, exploring the Algonquin Park by canoe.  In the meantime, Carleton is a big fan of setting constant essays and assignments so that shall be my entertainment between adventures.