Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is easily one of the hardest times to be away from home. Part of  this past Thursday was inevitably spent thinking about what my family was doing back in Canton, Ohio. I could picture them all sprawled out watching Family Feud together, or playing pinball, or secretly snacking on cinnamon bread. It feels like I've done it a million times, and I can imagine it like the back of my hand.

But this thanksgiving especially, I have a lot to be thankful for. This time around, three months into this journey, I'm especially thankful for some little luxuries, like warm showers, soft blankets, my 2008 Ipod Nano, and my nalgene water bottle, just to name a few.

Really though, I'm thankful for the people in my life. Being away from home this intensly, I've been able to really figure out which people are most important to me, because they are the ones that even after months of limited connection, I'm still thinking about and missing every single day. Those connections are really what I feel gives me purpose, even in my day-to-day life half way across the world. And of course, I can't talk about the people in my life without talking about my group - my new family. I couldn't be more thankful to be so deeply entwined with people as amazing, curious, hilarious, supportive, and accepting as the people I get to spend every day with here. Spending time with them fills me up with joy and love, and as each others main source of emotional support, we really have become our own family.

Lastly, I'm beyond thankful for this opportunity to see the world and learn what's out there beyond my own tiny part of it all. Experiencing even these very small pieces of someone elses world, culture, life, has made me question my own purpose, my own way of life, my own place in the world. Not that I have any of the answers yet... I don't expect I'll find them anytime soon. Still, figuring out how to start asking the questions authentically is liberating in itself. I think what I'm trying to say is, I'm grateful to feel myself changing and growing everyday, even if I don't know exactly how yet.

Happy (late) thanksgiving everyone.

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