Last week, I wrote about how thanksgiving was coming and everyone was going back to their home, to relax and enjoy with their family. Here I was, going to spend it on this deserted campus. Well, it actually turned out to be way better than I had imagined.

Tuesday, Nov 24th – To kick off the Thanksgiving break, I went to the BYU Men’s Basketball game against Southern University. Sitting in the third row in the loudest student section, I knew right from the start of the game that I was going to scream my heart out that night. Cougars’ 107 to 51 point victory over the Jaguars really got me pumped up for the days to come.

Wednesday, Nov 25th – Movie Mania Begins! Since my Pakistani friends weren’t heading home as well, we decided to avail these holidays with pizza and a Bourne Marathon. It was nice to relax and enjoy a day, and not think about the dreaded finals soon to come. By the way, The Bourne Series is a must watch!

Thursday, Nov 26th – I had a delicious thanksgiving meal with my roommate, Andrew’s wonderful family here in Sandy, Utah. Even though I had heard about Thanksgiving meal over and over a million times, I could never have imagined so much food. By the time I was done eating, I could barely walk. I’m glad I took a brief nap afterwards. But still, one thing’s for sure … that food was unforgettable!

Friday, Nov 27th – Eid Mubarak! Islamic calender has two really big events; Eid-ul-Fitr, celebrating the end of the holy month of fasting, Ramadan & Eid-ul-Azha, commemorating Prophet Abraham’s honorable act of almost sacrificing one of his sons in the name of God. It was Eid-ul-Azha on Friday. The congregational prayer was to be held in Salt Lake City. My friends and I reached there in time to be a part of it. It did remind me of my last Eid back in Pakistan, with family but I was still glad to be with friends on this occassion. Afterwards, we ate at a nice Egyptian cuisine, “O’falafel.” I would recommend everyone to try a falafel at least once in their lifetime.

Saturday, Nov 28th – Game Day! The most talked about college football game in all of Utah was here, and my friend who was in California for thanksgiving had given me his ticket. Eighth row, right behind the South field goal; I couldn’t have asked for better seats. The fiercely competitive game had its perfectly thrilling end, Cougars taking over the Utes with a narrow victory in overtime. Brian Logan, No.7 for the cougars, along with three other defensive players, is in one of my religious classes. His tackles really had the spectators on their feet. I ended up rushing the field after the last touchdown. Oh, some night!

That’s the exciting story of my first thanksgiving ever. Hope you had a wonderful time during this “well-deserved” break too.
Best Wishes for Christmas!