Thanksgiving

*Surprise, surprise* American holidays aren't as enjoyable if you aren't in America...
It is that time of year again. Most American families join together around a table filled with food and students get time off of school and it is a holiday and thanks and yeah. I actually really enjoy Thanksgiving with my family. You just get to eat and sleep so I honestly see it is as one of the more favorable times of the year. Obviously, being in Spain, I didn't get to celebrate it with my family this year. It was pretty disappointing but only when I completely spaced out and thought about how much I missed it. I did get lots of nice messages from my friends from the U.S. and from here wishing me a happy thanksgiving. It is always nice to know that people are thinking about you but it still made my insides a little depressed.

Thankfully, (Ha.Ha.) I have some good friends here that I can hang out with and forget about whatever I am missing back home. I have only been in Arganda for less than a week but all of my classmates have been so welcoming it feels like longer. They are so nice and happy to have me at my school and show me off that I couldn't feel more thankful to be placed here with them.

As the three month mark approaches I have tried to think about what I want to accomplish here and what I have. Some days I feel like three months is such a long impressive stretch of time and others I wonder if it will ever end. A former AFS student once said to me that a good day in your home country is just a good day, but a good day in your host country is a really good day. Now that I read it again it makes next to no sense but I guess I still get it. A good day in the U.S. would probably be me sleeping in and then hanging out with my friends but a good day here is a day that I get to go and explore Madrid with my host sister or spend hours talking Spanish with my friends. It's like a good day with an extra kick because you are in Spain and foreign and cool.

I really wanted to write this post while I was in a good mood. I am extremely exhausted right now but I just wanted to write a quick post on a day that has been important to me. I really need to start enjoying the time here and appreciating everything that I have. I guess on Thanksgiving back home I never actually thought about what I was thankful for, like ever. But here, in Spain, I think about it at least once a day. I think about the amazing support I have from my friends and family, the great food I get to eat everyday, and my smushy little kitten waiting for me back home. This is getting cheesy which really isn't my style so I am just going to wrap it up here. To sum up - It was a good day, I am happy to be here, and I am thankful for a lot of things.

P.S - Hi mom! I assume you found my blog by now because we were talking about it the other day. I know you will probably read this post so I am really just testing you to see if finish the whole thing...