On my way back home I didn’t know what to write today. I lived through all the emotions one can have today. I was deeply touched, angry, even hateful, I laughed, I had tears in my eyes, I was euphoric, I was surprised. All the seasons in one day. I don’t want my blog to be a diary of things I experienced here in a linear way, even though I still try to figure out, what this blog will be like. But when I came back to my apartment, I found a parcel with a familiar handwriting at the foot of the staircase, which gave me a warm feeling and excitement. It was packed with sweets from my home country. And at that moment I knew I wanted to write about
Gratitude.
Even though it is tough to be abroad sometimes, away from the people you love, even in difficult phases there are things that make you smile and happy. And things you love about the country you chose to live in. And that is what I am grateful for. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be here and study here. And I am grateful to myself that I went through all the hardship and work to come here. I am also grateful for my friends and loved ones back home, who try to make me smile over the distance. I appreciate that especially. I have people who are waiting for me and are excited about my steps. I am grateful for the unexpected chats I have, that make me laugh, grateful for Auto-Correct to teach me how to correctly spell grateful (hah now I got it right!) and a lot of other small things.
I am also grateful about a lot of things I am experiencing here. I want to conclude with a list of things I love about America.
I love that it is fall here, that the leaves turn yellow suddenly. I love that October is a special season here and that everything is pumpkin themed. I love that everything is orange and yellow. I love that the clerk at the museum asked me if I had a good time there and that the barista in Starbucks made me an extra large pumpkin iced tea chai latte, because it was her favorite drink. I love that my professor asked a student how the wedding, the student missed class for, was, when he was taking attendance. I love that people say: “absolutely Boss” (I got you there Ethan), or “Alright Champion” in normal conversations. Even I never know if it is irony. I love that a guy asked, “How is everyone’s day?” in the quiet elevator. And I love that people here are giving more compliments. When I walked out of the door my classmate said: “I really love your outfits, they perfectly match every day”. Thad made me smile and made my day.