Thanksgiving

The history of Thanksgiving that we learn as children is so friendly. As we grow older we learn the skewed reality of the "thanksgiving story", but one thing remains the same. We take the time of Thanksgiving to cook giant meals and get together with friends and family. We sit at the dinner table and everyone says something they are thankful for. Usually people are thankful for their friends, family, and the food on their table. This is my third Thanksgiving outside of the U.S. Even when I am in the U.S., I spend thanksgiving with my friends and family, but there is also a lot of family and friends that are very far away. I have fading memories of spending thanksgiving as a child at my Aunts house or with other family friends. But for many years now, my family of 3 has spent all our thanksgivings with my "second family". When I was very young, this family invited me and my family to become a part of their family and over the years they have become really like family for me. For thanksgiving, each person will make something and bring it over to their house and everyone will join together to share and amazing meal. I am here in Nepal, where the poverty is blatant and the opportunities that people have are limited. Most people in this country will never eat a meal like the one on the thanksgiving table. The other Americans I am with and I will put together the best Thanksgiving meal we can and we will show the Israelis what its like to have a Thanksgiving meal. We will go around the table and have everyone say what they are thankful for. What am I thankful for?

Everything.

I am thankful for my friends, my family, my education, my freedom, my knowledge, my mind, my physical ability, the physical and mental ability of those around me, and I am thankful for my open mind. I am thankful to be in a place like Nepal, where I can learn a new culture, a new way of life, and expand my mind and knowledge. I am thankful for my empowerment, my capability of speech, the internet, and the feeling of really LIVING my life. I'm thankful for all who love me and all who I love. And I'm thankful for all the difficult situations that I have experienced and the opportunity to turn them into learning experiences and growth.

Happy Thanksgiving. This is the only time of year I get a little homesick while I'm away.