This year marks the first year I
will be spending Thanksgiving away from my family. Although there have been
some pretty close calls, like my Freshmen year of college when after missing my
first flight I just barely caught the last one of the day out to New York, I
have always managed to make it home to feast and give thanks with my family.
Being miles and miles away from home and not getting to spend this time with my
family has made me realize now more than ever how much I have to be thankful
for. This may get corny but I know
that no one ever hears thank you enough.
To
start off I think to where my life has taken me this semester. I’m in Florence,
Italy for an entire four months. I have gotten the opportunity to visit six
different countries and too many cities to count. I have filled my weekend with
once in a lifetime opportunities and my eyes have been opened to a whole new
world full of new and unexpected perspectives.
First
and foremost I am thankful for my parents. Without them I would not be half the
person I am today. They have fully supported every dream, opportunity, and idea
I have ever had. Throughout this entire trip, and my entire life for that
matter, they never made me feel like there was anything I couldn’t do. They let
me experience the world and constantly remind me that in the end money is just
paper and you can’t put a price on love or happiness. They have molded me into
a person that I am truly proud of being and I can only hope one day that when I
have a family I am able to do the same. There is no way I would be abroad
having the semester of a lifetime without them and I do not think they hear it
enough how much I love them and appreciate every single thing they do for me.
Second
I am thankful for my family. Yes, family again. My parents of course deserve
their own category of thanks but I am thankful for my siblings and all my
aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. We may get on each other’s last nerve
sometimes but my siblings show me everyday that they have my back. I know I
will always have them for anything and everything I could possibly need and
that they are my support system. As for my aunts, uncles, grandparents, and
cousins I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world to be so
close to all of my family. They have supported me through my travels, have
given me a place to stay, and even read my blog post…woooo fan base!! As I have
traveled abroad I have grown a greater appreciation for my family’s roots and
how hard my grandparents worked to proved a better life for us all. Not only
did I get to see the place where I come from by traveling to Ireland but also I
got to see family I have not seen since I was young. My family in Ireland are
some of the sweetest most hospitable people I have ever met and I am so lucky
to have gotten the chance to spend time with them.
Next
I am thankful for my friends. Both my friends from high school and college have
proven to me that distance means nothing. Besides being my lifeline for
everything they have all shown me that distance means nothing. Without a phone,
24/7 access to Internet, and a different time zone they have all managed to
keep in contact as well as keep me sane when frustrations of being abroad got
the best of me. I can be the craziest, psychotic person sometimes and know that
my friends pass no judgments. Once again I feel like the luckiest person in the
world to have friends like the ones I do.
Tagging
on to being thankful for my friends. I am thankful for all the friends and
people I have met here. I have gotten to know people that I would have never
gotten the chance to know if not for this experience. People who go to the same
school and have the same major yet we had never had a conversation before this
trip. I have become so close with so many of the fashion majors studying abroad
this semester. I also have met so many interesting people and teachers
throughout my travels that I will never forget. Complete strangers from all
over the place have both changed and impacted my life.
Finally
I am thankful for my happiness. I can honestly say I have never been so happy
as I am studying abroad. It is evident as I scroll through my pictures and see
myself smiling from ear to ear. It is evident as I walk to class, eyes
wandering around the streets and catch myself again smiling. I get excited like
a little kid the night before Christmas every time I go on a new adventure, a
new country, or simply find a new place in Florence. It is also evident every
time I get gelato because that is just happiness in itself! My eyes have been
open to a whole new world and I truly believe I have become a better person by
being here. Nothing feels better than waking up every morning not knowing what
the day will be like and having to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.
They say traveling is the only happiness money can buy and I could not agree
more.
There
are so many things I am thankful for that I know just one simple blog post
narrowing it down to my top list of thanks could ever even be enough. But this
Thanksgiving, as I sit in an airport waiting for my flight to Prague, I want to
share my thanks and hope that everyone has a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.
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