Thanksgiving and an indian summer

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I participated in my first ever Thanksgiving last weekend, and then had another one the very next day. I still don't one hundred percent understand Thanksgiving - but it seems it is just a great day to get together with friends and family and eat and be grateful for having food and a day off. Sounds like something we should definitely implement in Australia and NZ. In fact, that's going to be my new mission. It's like having two christmas. The food is basically the same. And its a great opportunity to just chill and take some time off.

The first thanksgiving was ridiculous (in a good way). I caught up with Helene and Pierre who I lived with in NZ, in Montreal. They live in a really cool area of Montreal full of immigrants and young professionals. It's an amazing city full of culture and a really awesome vibe. We had a thanksgiving feast on the saturday night. And when I said we, it was me, Helene, Pierre, and 30 of their closest friends!! It was crazy. I'm still not sure how they all fit in the apartment!! There were lots of non-traditional elements to the feast (namely the fact we didn't eat the main course until nearly midnight - very European). It was great fun though, and a great insight into Montreal and Quebec culture. I really felt like I was in some cool Quebecois movie.

On Sunday I drove the most boring drive from Montreal to Toronto. It's just highway the whole way. Not interesting at all. Then it was time for thanksgiving number 2. This was more traditional (well as traditional as having thanksgiving with a bunch of Scottish immigrants can be!). Rachel's family are great - they are still so Scottish and it was great to converse with people who spoke more like me rather than North Americans!

The most important thing to come out of this thanksgiving business is PUMPKIN PIE! AMAZING. I'm definitely making that a thing in Australia/NZ!!

The rest of this week has involved a lot of eating and drinking coffee! We even went apple picking on the holiday monday! It was really warm on the weekend. They call it an indian summer. Apparently it is the last bit of warmth before the winter. I think I'm leaving just in the nick of time!
I also went to Wallmart. That place has EVERYTHING!

Today is my second last day in Canada and my last day in my twenties. Crazy. Tonight we are having dinner at a local pub for Rachel's dad's birthday and then meeting some of her friends. Tomorrow is the CN tower for lunch and then 30th birthday celebrations, Canadian style.

Sunday night I jump on the plane to go Toronto-Vancouver-Sydney. After 20.5 hours I'll be in Sydney. Then its a 3.5 hour bus ride home. That's a day of travel. That is not cool. Then back to reality.

Canada is definitely somewhere I could live. I'd really like to come back, especially to Montreal. And I'm pretty sure I NEED to live in New York at some point in my life!

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