Día de Acción de Gracias

***I want to apologize in advance for a very sappy post***

So I was just sitting in my room finishing up some homework for class this afternoon, and the song "Count Your Blessings" from the movie White Christmas came on. There was also a slide show of all my pictures running as a screen saver on my computer at the same time. As I watched pictures of my friends, family, and travels pass by the screen along with the music, it really made me take a minute to think about everything I am thankful for. Being that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I thought this might be a good time to reflect.

I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am for everything I have. This opportunity to be in Spain and travel Europe is something many people would never get the chance to do. I have to remind myself everyday how amazing it is that I am even here. I will cherish this experience forever and I cannot begin to thank God and everyone else who made this possible.

I am so blessed to have a family that supports me so completely in everything I do. When I first mentioned this opportunity to my mom, without hesitation she said "go for it!" I didn't realize how cool that was until I started talking to other people here whose parents weren't so unwaveringly supportive. Thanks mom and dad for all of your love and support throughout my whole life. I wouldn't be here without you guys.

The support and love I have received from the rest of my family, friends, and coworkers has been amazing too. Thank you all for your encouraging words and constant support. It's made being so far away a lot easier for me, knowing everyone back home has my back.

It's easy to take everything we have for granted or get discouraged with the economy spinning out of control, that's why I think it's great we have a tradition like Thanksgiving to take pause and recognize all the blessings we do have. It's something no other country has, and, from my experience here, a lot of them do not understand.

I have to admit, it's going to be hard to be in Spain on Thanksgiving. Tomorrow I'll go to class, and life in Madrid will continue like normal. At home, families will gather together to remember what they have to be grateful for. Our program has organized a big turkey dinner for us at a local restaurant to make us feel at home. We're really grateful for the work they did to put it together, but I won't lie, it's not gonna be the same. For the first time since arriving in Spain, I think I will be truly homesick.

That being said, I hope everyone has a VERY Happy Thanksgiving!
I miss and love you all!