Guys! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving!! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, mostly because I like telling people that I think they're great, and also I like holidays that encourage me to eat a lot of pie.
This year is going to be a little different, though. Usually, around this time tomorrow, I would be at my aunt and uncle's house, gorging on way too much turkey and having a great time with my entire extended family. There would be football and my mom and I would have watched the Thanksgiving Day parade earlier that morning, and she probably would have made us all cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
However, this time tomorrow, my schedule will have looked a little different. I still have class tomorrow, though I'm done at 3 o'clock so it isn't terrible! And then I will be coming home to make some biscuits and some apple pie, and later that night my roommates and friends will gather at our apartment where we plan to eat and be thankful together! So in honor of that, in honor of 'making things work,' and in honor of being grateful for the opportunities I've been given, here are the things I am so thankful for this year.
1. My family. I know it's obvious, and I know #2 on this list (Heads up: It's going to be 'My Friends') is equally obvious, but I can't say it enough. My mother has emailed me every single day since I've been here. I think she missed one day, and it was because she got distracted when she opened up her email and ended up responding to work stuff. When I Skyped my brother earlier this week and asked him how he felt about One Direction, he responded by temporarily leaving the screen and returning with his hair slicked into a coiffeur that Harry Styles himself would have been extraordinarily proud of. My sister sent me a video the other day just proclaiming how much she missed me. My father lets me make fun of his beard when we FaceTime. I know it is the little things, but I am so grateful for such a loving, supportive family.
2. My friends. Sometimes being abroad is lonely. Sometimes it's scary and frustrating, other days it's jump-up-and-down, never-want-to-come-home exciting. But no matter what kind of feelings I've had or experiences I've gone through or stupid, silly things I've wanted to share, there has always been an abundance of people willing to listen and laugh with me. Not everybody gets to say they have friends as dedicated and wonderful as mine. I'm so thankful!
3. Globalization. Tomorrow, I'm going to get to eat mashed potatoes and turkey and apple strudel (pie isn't a real thing here, sorry) and stuffing. If I work hard enough, I think I can find a live stream of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Thanks to the extensive globalization of American traditions, I found some cookies shaped like little turkeys and pilgrim hats in the grocery store the other day. It's weird not being home for the holidays, but the dissolution of a lot of barriers that used to exist has made it so much easier to feel happy and healthy and excited about spending Thanksgiving in a foreign country.
4. Being in Italy. I feel very fortunate to have my dreams come true. It sounds corny and silly and overdramatic, and let's be honest, I'm probably phrasing it melodramatically because I'm feeling sentimental, but I do feel extremely lucky to be living abroad. Despite the whining my roommates and I all do about the steep prices of Metro passes and the homework and the creepy guys who follow us around with umbrellas in the sunlight, spending three and a half months in Italy is the most ideal situation I can think of. I am grateful for all sorts of little things that Italy has given me: Amaretto gelato. A trip to Scotland. An appreciation for my own bathroom. Grocery stores within walking distance. A reliable transportation system. Italy has never looked so good!
5. Coming home. In 28 days, Mom and I will be boarding a plane to come home so that I can hug my friends and kiss my siblings and eat Chipotle and celebrate Christmas. I can't express my gratitude enough that I have a place to call home and that I have people I love to come home to.
Have a fantastic Thanksgiving! Eat a lot and don't feel guilty about it. Give everyone you love a big hug and a kiss. Say nice things. Do something great!
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