Giving Thanks

I never realized how much I liked Thanksgiving (and America in general) until I uprooted to Spain for three months.

Now, I'm missing the huge family gathering at my house and I'm really sad about it. My brother even brought home a friend named Stephanie who is probably sleeping in my bed. I have been utterly replaced. Mostly, I'm dreaming of cranberries, beating myself up for not having my parents bring a can. Cranberries are native to America. As is Thanksgiving.

Also, I completely forgot I even wrote anything about Thanksgiving on this blog until HerCampus re-posted - they also present the occasional Stef on Stuff highlights.

So, my dear friends, it's time to give thanks.

Thanks, family, for sending me on the most amazing semester-long learning experience. Thanks, host parents, for making this a most cultural experience in the best way possible - even though you fed me shark. Thanks, Spain, for teaching me a "Don't Worry, Be Happy" way of life,  that beer sometimes tastes good, and that learning outside class is what counts most. Thanks, Courtney, for putting up with my keyboard clattering at one a.m. and general lack of bedmaking.

Thanks, Ryanair, for  flying me all around Europe for pocket change. Thanks, Judith's family for Shabbat dinner in Paris. Thanks, Julie, for a quality Yom Kippur weekend in Barcelona. Thanks, monkeys in Gibraltar, for being so cute. Thanks, summer job, for paying for all of this spending.

Thanks, CurvesNervion for motivating me to wear sneakers for consecutive days. Thanks, film professor for letting me show up an hour late to 9AM class and not minding at all. Thanks, Calle Betis, for the free sangria on Thursday nights and the sweet American songs on the overhead speakers.

Thanks, you reading this, for vicariously living through me/making me feel so popular - almost at 5000 views! But actually - recording and sharing snippets of my semester through this blog has helped me connect with you all over the world and reflect on all of the things I'm so grateful for.

Most of all, thanks, Sevilla. I am the quintessential study abroad student. I love this city, I love this country, I love these friends, I love this learning, I love this life.

Sevilla's slogan is "No me ha dejado" - Sevilla has never left me.
It's cheesy, it's lame, but I'm going to say it anyway:
Though I'm leaving Sevilla so soon, the city will never leave me.  I may have to give up siesta and sunshine, but I won't give up the 'no pasa nada' spirit.

For that, I am thankful in so many new ways. And I'll get over missing the cranberries. Maybe.