Happy Thanksgiving!
I know I’m late – I had written this post last week but had no wifi for a few days, so here’s a bit about what I did for thanksgiving break!
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Checkout this video about the holiday – Why Thanksgiving Should Be Redefined by one of my favourite content creators on YouTube. He provides a quick but very interesting overview of the history of the Thanksgiving holiday, and insight into why traditions can/should be redefined overtime.
I didn’t grow up living in a country where everyone celebrated Thanksgiving. I did go to the American School and my dad’s American so we did have turkey every once in a while, and it’s not like the day went unnoticed, but I never really understood why this holiday was so important to some people.
But it’s quickly become one of my favorite holidays. It’s a day to celebrate family, friends, all the relationships that are important to us, and express our gratitude to the people in our lives. That’s why I was so so happy to be able to spend a few days with my brother in one of the most beautiful cities I’ve visited – Istanbul.
We knew while planning the trip that this wasn’t the safest time to go to a country bordering Europe and the Middle East. We had friends and family tell us to cancel the trip after the attacks in Ankara, and we definitely were a bit unsettled by the conflicts between Turkey and Russia that seemed to be escalating particularly fast right as we were leaving for Istanbul. But after this semester full of shootings and bombings all over the world but especially in Europe, I knew we were never really going to feel/be safe anywhere.
We’ll never know when we might fall victim to an attack. Even Copenhagen, one of the most peaceful and wealthy cities in the world experienced a terrorist attack last year. Yet, here I am studying for the entire semester. The United States experiences mass shootings on a nearly weekly basis, yet we live, play, and study there. The only thing separating us from these tragic incidents is luck. Along with the privileges we were either born in to or have gained throughout our lives that help distance us from situations like these.
My brother and I talked a lot about this as we spent five amazing days in Istanbul, a multi-ethnic/cultural/linguistic/religious country that seems to embrace it’s complex history and it’s hopeful future. The people we talked to at the mosques we visited gave us insight in to a faith that is greatly misunderstood throughout the world – we walked away from these beautiful religious buildings in awe and with deep humility – we should all be trying to be do better for ourselves and for our fellow citizens of the world. What more can we ask for in a world so unpredictable and uncontrollable?
So I try to constantly remind myself to be grateful. To appreciate all the opportunities I’m given and all the one’s I’ve had the privilege of turning down. With only a few weeks left of my semester abroad in Europe, I think it’s important that I keep this mindset, and finish off the semester strong.