Turkey in Türkiye

Thanksgiving is for sure one of my favorite holidays - I mean really, who doesn't love a holiday based on bloatation? Also that I get to spend time with family and friends is a biggie. But the main purpose of the holiday is to express your thankfulness for what you've got.

I really have a lot to be thankful for.

I'm so happy to be having this experience - it really is more than I could have hoped for.

I have amazing friends both here and at home, who give me all the support I could ever want. They are just amazing. I'm thankful for my friends.

I have a fantastic host mom - she's absolutely wonderful. And she's a fantastic cook and laughs when I do stupid things. I am so thankful for her.

I have an amazing Rotary club both here and at home who are supporting me no matter what. I am so thankful to them for sending me and receiving me and keeping me happy and safe. I am so thankful for my clubs.

And my actual parents... I couldn't be more thankful for them. They are the ones who helped me to become an exchange student, filling out all the paperwork in BLUE INK. They talked me through my college application process and now the scholarship process. They keep me sane and help me to correct my English grammar. They help me make sense of all of the languages in my head. They are amazing. I am SO thankful for them.

Thanksgiving today was absolutely wonderful. We went to the Turkish American Association for Thanksgiving dinner (we being me and my other awesome Ankara exchangers - Samuel, Fernanda, Abby, Gaia, Rio and Paulina). We spent the evening laughing and eating, granted, not to the amount normally served at a Thanksgiving feast, but, you win some, you lose some.

Thank you for such a fantastic evening!