In the past, for me Thanksgiving was nothing more than a day to eat a lot of food with family, but now; it has become something more. I haven’t been home for the Thanksgiving for the last 3 years and every year I spend away from home it makes me realize more and more that I have a lot to be thankful for. It’s easy to forgot and at times, easy to get caught up in trivial things. At times it may seem like our lives suck and nothing is going our way, but even in those moments of sadness and despair we still have more than a lot of people. Even in those times, we have a multitude of things to be thankful for; but a lot of them are taken for granted.
A friend of mine recently talked with and interviewed Syrian refugees. These are people who have lost everything and now literally have nothing. In his own words, “Imagine this. You have a nice house, friends nearby, a good family life and you are studying for a promising degree. Your whole future is ahead of you. Then try and picture it all disappearing in little more than a fortnight.” Refugees seem to be easily grouped as a mass with people forgetting that they are individual people, young and old, who no longer have anything.
I am thankful for my family and friends because without them and their support I wouldn’t be able to continue doing what I’m doing. It’s not easy to continually live in a new place, missing and not being a part of things that go on back home. I am thankful that I have a job because here in Spain and especially in Andalusia unemployment is out of control. Friends of mine with degrees in engineering can’t get a job. People of all ages are out of work. Lastly, I am thankful for the friends that I have made and those that I was able to spend Thanksgiving with. The people you meet are the ones who shape your experience in a city. They make the city what is is and without them the experience wouldn’t be the same. You could live in the greatest city in the world, but meet the shittiest people and your time would not be good. I’m thanksful I’ve met the ones I have.
Here is the link to my friends article: