"Thanksgiving," the first break of the fall semester is close to arrival, the time of the year when everyone goes home, families get together for celebration, and flights are hard to get for even the remotest destination in US. The last week was actually a shopping Bonanza since all the Shopping Malls in town were thriving with Thanksgiving sales with some of the best deals for shopping available at down-to-earth prices. I really went on a shopping spree especially to equip myself for facing the tough winters in US which are showing up slowly. Inspite of coming well prepared from India with a lot of wollens, I seriously feel that the best clothing to help me with winters is not the one I got from home. The weather is very unpredictable with highs and lows and people have a strong preference for open clothing (jackets etc) which can be worn and taken off any time since the home interiors are centrally heated but the exteriors are very cold.

The semester is almost coming to an end within another fifteen days and studies are occupying more and more of my time since all submissions are due shortly. By this time, every student comes to know precisely where he stands academically in the courses since most of the grades have been announced. At this stage, the university surprisingly gives an opportunity to drop a course midway through the semester in case a student feels that he is not performing well and continuing with the course would not benefit him academically or probably will be detrimental to his GPA. Dropping a course in my opinion is not a good practice since that indicates that I am lacking confidence in myself. However such opportunities provided by the US education system really highlight the flexibility and convenience which the American Institutions are characteristic of. After dropping a course anyone can take up a short term Independent study under the department and make up.

Last week, I also observed a very peculiar example of America's craze for freedom and open mindedness with the surprising concept of open air movie screenings. One of these was organized at the student lawns on campus which besides these movies also host classes and lectures for many departments (another great thing). I was thrilled seeing the joy of cinema in the open and how much more engrossing it was in comparison to how it is in the confinements of movie theatres. There was free pizza, drinks, and deals and people had come with their own chairs and bed sheets ready to enjoy sitting in the lawn with the movie playing in front of them and stars above.

"Happy Thanksgiving!"