Thanksgiving is a time to express how thankful we are for
the blessings in our lives. Today, I would like to discuss three people in
particular that are extremely special to me this Thanksgiving.
My parents
It would be typical and cliché of me to say that I am
thankful for my parents. I am thankful for them every day and that should not
be news to anyone by now. I would like to talk about a few things that make me
extra thankful for them this year that they may not know about.
The entire reason I am in the Netherlands currently is
because of my parents. Aside from financially supporting me, they also
supported me on many other levels. Having the ability to study halfway across
the world requires good grades, a strong worth ethic, and a confidence in your
abilities. All of these qualities that I have come straight from my parents
constant support throughout the years. I would like to believe that my parents
telling me to “go the extra mile” since the third grade still applies to the
reasons I have gotten where I am today. They raised me to believe in myself and
my abilities and work as hard as I possibly could for the things I wanted. By
raising me the way they did, they enabled me to have the experiences I do. I
will always be so grateful for everything that they have given me.
Tintern Abbey - Wales
Dad
It used to upset me how often my dad traveled for work. I
understood that his job required him to be gone and that other families have it
much worse than ours. What I didn’t realize was how all of that time he had to
spend sitting on planes away from his family translated directly into me using
his points to get home from the Netherlands. I didn’t realize that the money
that I need for school and travel comes from all of the long hours he put in
when we all know he would rather be at home. I spent a lot of time being upset
at things he couldn’t control instead of realizing it was probably just as hard
for him as it was me. Dad, I realize now how much your hard work has given me
my opportunities and I am sorry I wasn’t always grateful for it.
Guinness Tour - Ireland
Mom
I called my mom when I found out I was accepted into Radboud
University. Guess what? She wasn’t excited. The first emotion I heard out of
her voice was worry. It was there for a split second and then it was masked by
her attempt to be supportive and excited for me. People always attach worry as
being a negative emotion. It is always considered bad to be a worry wart or to
have a mom that worries too much. Those things are simply not true. I am so
thankful for my mom’s worries. Her concern for my safety abroad is completely
rational and actually wanted. My mom keeps me grounded and that keeps me safe.
I am able to carefully navigate through my travels thanks to her and the
conscience she instilled in me. I have
always known that my mom’s protectiveness only means one thing; she loves me
more than I could even imagine. That’s pretty cool. Sure, my mom isn’t directly
paying for my study abroad experience but she pays with her time. When I want
to skype with her for over an hour at least once a week she always sits through
it. She keeps me excited about my experiences here and makes sure I am making
the most of it.
Both of my parents put in a lot of effort into preparing me
to leave. My mom helped me decide what clothes I will need and what I can live
without. My dad helped me try to jam all of my 60 lbs of ‘necessities’ into my
suitcase as well as allowing them to spill into most if his! They both planned
two weeks of travel for us while I was too worried about the silly things. They
spent hours looking over my applications and bank information to make sure I
wouldn’t have any problems once I got there. Studying abroad comes with an
extremely long preparation process. It was a huge team effort to prepare and
they handled it very well. Mom and Dad, you are the best parents I could have ever asked for and I am finding out you make amazing friends too! Thank you for everything you have given me and taught me.
Ring of Kerry Tour - Ireland
Logan
I don’t talk much about my boyfriend because I never wanted
to be “that couple” but I think it is time to give him some credit. We have
been together for 3 and a half years and for 2 of them we have been apart for
long periods of time. We usually see each other for a few days at a time over Thanksgiving,
Valentine’s Day, and Spring Break. We get around 3 weeks at Christmas and 3
months for summer as well. The rest of the time is usually spent around 1,000
miles away. Being the great girlfriend that I am, I decided to increase that to
about 5,000 miles when I hopped the Atlantic Ocean. Even with all of those
miles and an 8 hour time difference, Logan still knows more about what happens
to me here than anyone else. We get to text from about 5 pm on (in the morning
to early afternoon for him) every day. We also are able to find time to skype
around twice a week. Although this isn’t exactly what we are used to, it isn’t
all that different. He listens to my stories and he keeps me thinking
positively. He is always supportive and is sure to make time for me. People
frequently ask us how we do long distance and we don’t have an answer. We don’t
know how we do it either. All I know is even with all of the miles, we still
have so much fun talking to each other. We have learned how to make it work and
it distance has just become a part of our lives at the moment. Logan, I am so
thankful for you and everything you do for me.
Of course I am so thankful for many others in my life. I
have met some amazing people here in the Netherlands, I have really solid
friendships at MSU and I love my friends in Edwardsville! I am also thankful
for the people in my life that I know through my parents or past jobs as well
as my brother and extended family. The amount of people who have taken an interest in my
travels and my blog is amazing to me and I am thankful for each and every one
of you!
Happy Thanksgiving, God Bless!