Thanksgiving in Paris

The cool thing about studying in Madrid is that we get Spanish 'festivos' off, as well as American holidays that aren't even celebrated here, like Thanksgiving! We had a 5-day weekend this Thanksgiving weekend, and I decided to travel to Paris with my friends Delia and Brittany. I will write a separate blog about the whole trip, but I wanted to 'give thanks' through this one. I am especially thankful this year for having the opportunity to visit all of these cool places, and spend this semester abroad in the wonderful city of Madrid. This has been an incredible experience for so many reasons and I have loved every minute of it. I love my host family, my roommates, my friends (new and old), and staff at the school here. I am very thankful for my family at home as well. I want to thank them and extended family because they have afforded me this opportunity. My parents have always supported me and trusted me in this decision to come here, which I know is hard for some parents to do. I really appreciate their love and support. Also, a large portion of the money I had to spend on travelling and other expenses came from the savings account I have built up from birthday & Christmas gifts from the time I was a little girl. So, extended family, you have contributed to my experience as well. :) Thank you so much! This was my first Thanksgiving away from home, but my experiences throughout my time away have opened up my eyes and have really made me realize how truly blessed and thankful I am.